


Play Along

by NotTilItsFinished (Pyrate0804)



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Cunnilingus, F/F, First Time, Fluff, Masturbation, More Fluff, No Gore, Slow Burn, Smut, Strap-Ons, Trigger warning- abduction, Trigger warning- homophobic slurs, did I mention slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 09:18:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 101,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11101545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyrate0804/pseuds/NotTilItsFinished
Summary: Sitting in her cruiser, Nicole wonders how she ended up down this road on her patrol. She pulls off onto the almost nonexistent shoulder and turns off her headlights, knowing that nobody else would be coming down here at this time of night. The road is a dead end, after all. She realizes she couldn't remember anything about how she got here. Had she driven here specifically, or had she just drifted along on her patrol? She can't remember anything about the last however long...She should have been paying better attention, but every time she was alone her thoughts drifted back to Waverly.~~~All the extra things that could have happened off screen in Season One with our favorite revenant hunting squad and one Nicole Haught.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So here we go. This is my first FanFic, ever. I just got some ideas in my head and after a few months of writing I've made this. When I started this I thought, 'Maybe it'll be a couple chapters. I'll probably try to proof read it, decide its crap and never post it.' 4 months later, it's 28 chapters and an epilogue, ~100k words and now that I've re-reread the whole thing... I don't think it's half bad.
> 
> This started with just a few ideas in mind. FIrst, Nicole Haught with a guitar. Yes... Haught is right. Second, I felt like there were sooo many gaps in Nicole and Waverly's story. Of course, the show isn't technically about Nicole, so I get the limited screen time, but this story is all from Nicole's perspective, with some omniscience thrown in to help make some things more clear. And third, the barn scene... However, great people think that scene is, the first thing I thought when I saw it was, 'Yeah, there's no way that's the first time Waverly and Nicole have down this.' So, how better to fix that problem with a little creativity of my own.
> 
> Some legal disclaimers... I don't really own any of this. The characters, the storyline, the music mentioned, the song lyrics used... none of it is mine and I hope that anyone who owns any of the original content beyond, would be flattered that they inspired me to compose ~100k words in praise of their art. This is not for profit for me, or anyone. All this really is, is a way for me to express myself.
> 
> I will be posting this all today. I've been working on this for quite a while, but I read a lot of fics that never get finished so I thought if I ever posted anything it would have to be finished first.
> 
> I hope you enjoy... Please leave comments... I'd love to hear what people think.

Nicole is sitting at the front desk, staring at her own reflection in the darkened computer screen in front of her and has been for quite some time. She strokes a hand over her flame colored hair trying to smooth out the little fly-aways from her braid. She notices the dark circles that have formed under her eyes. She licks her dry lips, hoping the moisture would give them a little depth and color. She is sort of mesmerized by the way the light catches her eyes. That little glint in her deep brown eyes makes her think of Waverly's eyes. Those eyes that changed color depending on her mood. Sometimes they were brown with gold flecks, sometimes green with grey streaks or somewhere in between. Nicole longs to look deep into them, to stare into Waverly Earp. Nicole snaps her head up at the sound of her name.

"Officer Haught, could you come in here," Sheriff Nedley asks loudly from his office. Nicole looks down and notices a report she had been trying to finish all evening. She realizes all that is missing is her signature. She signs her name to the report and gets up, stretching her long arms wide, trying to shake of the tired feeling she's had all evening. She straightens her uniform a bit before walking over to her boss' office.

Arriving at his doorway, Nicole notices how haggered Nedley looks and wonders if she looks just as tired. Trying to pep herself up, she beams her best dimpled smile and says "Yes, Sir," hoping she looked genuinely pleased to be there.

"I'm gonna need you to go out on patrol for a while. I just got word from Susan and Brad that they're gonna be hung up out at Tatenhill for a while, seems the family just disappeared and there's definitely something suspicious about it," Nedley explained.

"Sure thing boss!" Nicole exclaims with maybe a little too much enthusiasm. She knew working as a cop in a small town would get boring sometimes, but she was not going to be able to sit at that desk much longer tonight without falling asleep. She beams a genuine smile at him now and tells him she'd head right out.

She hadn't been sleeping well the last couple of nights, not with her mind racing about all the things she wants to say... _and do_... to Waverly Earp. The simple crush she developed when she first saw the young Earp is blossoming into something she can't quite put her finger on. Not an obsession, not infatuation, but definitely a preoccupation. She finds herself constantly worrying that she'll never get the chance to be anything more to Waverly than a casual acquaintance or a regular customer at Shorty's, the only bar in town. She finds herself daydreaming all the time about the stunning brunette; her smile, sweet and polite but with mirth hidden underneath; her laugh, sometimes full and boisterous, but also husky and sultry; and her hair, long and wavy, or tied back and straight, or braided in that long fish tail braid draped over one shoulder. Nicole shudders at the vision of running her hands through that hair as it drapes around her face from above. The officer in Nicole forces herself to focus at the task at hand and she snaps herself out of it.

On her way out the station, she refills her to-go coffee cup with the swill in the break room and half jogs towards her cruiser, hoping for a little adventure tonight.

~~~

Sitting in her cruiser, Nicole wonders how she ended up down this road on her patrol. She pulls off onto the almost nonexistent shoulder and turns off her headlights, knowing that nobody else would be coming down here at this time of night. The road is a dead end, after all. She realizes she couldn't remember anything about how she got here. Had she driven here specifically, or had she just drifted along on her patrol? She can't remember anything about the last however long... _My god, what time is it?_... She scolds herself for not knowing how she got there, for driving while distracted. She looks down at the clock on her dash board and realizes she's only been on patrol for about an hour. Her shift wouldn't be up for a little more than two hours, so she settles down a little... _At least you didn't miss shift change this time you let you mind wander, because yeah that happened... Twice in the last three weeks_... She should have been paying better attention, but every time she was alone her thoughts drifted back to Waverly.

Seeing the brunette in her mind, that first day at Shorty's, took Nicole's breath away again. That cute little smile and wave, the sheepish grin she had when she announced she was "sopping wet," the way her bra peaked out over the split button neckline of her tank top. Everything about Waverly looked just perfect to Nicole. She had turned around to give Waverly an illusion of privacy while she changed her shirt and she couldn't help but to breathe deeply in order to still the rush of excitement and attraction she felt welling up inside. The buttons of Waverly's beer soaked tank top got tangled in her hair on its way over her head, and this left Waverly struggling against the wet fabric. Nicole crossed behind the bar and helped her get free of that tank top and blushed when she saw Waverly blush. That first light touch had nearly driven her to just kiss her right there, first impressions be damned. But she had to be smooth, as always, and politely stepped away once Waverly clasped her arms and tank top in front of her, trying futilely to cover up her almost nakedness. "Uh, I owe you one," Waverly had said, a little shy.

Nicole had replied "Alright, how about you buy me a cup of coffee then? How about tonight?" Good job Nicole, just got keep that up...

Waverly then made that excuse she had heard so many times, "Oh, I can't. I have plans." Seeing the dejected look that crept on Nicole's face she stuttered as she continued, "No. I mean I'd love to, but -like, like to, uh... But I have plans. Yeah. I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm doing at least two or three days in advance." Nicole flashed that winning smile, but her confidence waned again when Waverly blurted out that she was in a relationship with a boy-man.

Jokingly, Nicole had responded, "Yep, I've been there. It's the worst."... _Yeah, Nicole, soon she'll be putty in your hands... HA!_... She stepped further away from Waverly and regained some of her composure. She started to move toward the door tapping her business card down on the bar, looking back at Waverly to say, "Some other time... I mean it." She slid her white Stetson back onto her head in an effort to make herself feel cool and confident again before she walked through the door and out onto the street.

Forcing her mind back to the present, she stares blankly at the house, the lights are on in two rooms downstairs. She scans her eyes over the homestead, taking in the rest of the house, the barn, a little storage shed and some random debris scattered about on the grounds. She thinks to herself that this place could use some work. The house probably needs a new roof and the exterior could stand to be power-washed and repainted. The debris that is spread out everywhere needed to be picked through and sorted as to what was trash and what wasn't. She wonders, if the outside looks like this, what must be going on inside. Considering how old the house is, it probably needs an overhaul in there too.

Movement catches her eye and she watches as a man appears from around the back of the house and walks determinedly toward the barn. In the few moments he's in view Nicole takes in his appearance, trying to determine whether he might be friend or foe. He seems well dressed in a pair of work slacks and a vest and jacket. He's sporting an old style gambler's hat and Nicole can see his hair poking out from underneath in the back. He quickly disappears through the side door of the barn. Deep in thought, Nicole whispers aloud, "Who's that and why is he over here so late?" After more than a few minutes, Wynonna comes walking out the same door and saunters over to the house, hitching up her skin tight pants a little as she goes. 'Hmmm, that's what he's doing here so late,' Nicole thinks, chuckling to herself. Nicole sees Wynonna's entrance is causing some commotion inside because now there are shadows passing the windows now, but she can't make out who's who in there, through the window's opaque curtains.

One of Nicole favorite songs... _Play Along by Sarah Bolen_... starts coming through the cruiser's stereo then and she remembers how much she loves and yet hates this playlist on her phone. The song brings up so many thoughts and feelings about the absolute mess she is in over Waverly. The last time she heard it, it made her cry. Just a couple of tears, shed before she could hastily mop them up with her handkerchief and compose herself. Nicole was a lot of things, but she was not a crier.

Coincidentally, Nicole realizes that it is, in fact, Tuesday night, and looking back at the clock Nicole's sees it is about midnight now. She rolls the window down and puts her arm up to sit through the open window, resting her head against her hand. She enjoys the night air, listening to the crickets in the night's stillness. A moth flies in through the window, attracted there by her dash board lights... _Ok... That's definitely not creepy at all... Just a coincidence that the lyrics to this song are totally syncing with my whole life right now..._

The next lyric takes her by complete surprise, even though she had heard this song so many times before, it punches right into her chest, hard enough that her head slumps back against the headrest. Singing along, Nicole mumbles, "And what do you do when you love someone, who loves someone other than you..." Nicole's gaze snaps back to the house when a light pops on in one of the rooms on the second flood and she watches as two shadows move back and forth in the light coming through that window. She wonders who's bedroom that might be and if it's Waverly's, then who is in her bedroom with her. "Probably Wynonna, but knowing my luck it's Champ," she says out loud, chastising herself for her longing to be the one in there with her.

But in the same thought, she is hopeful about where she and Waverly had been headed before Champ had come over and stolen her away at Shorty's memorial. Holding her hands over Waverly's for just that brief moment had sent a pulse through her that she couldn't deny, all the way to her toes. "Maybe I'll paint you a picture and you can see what I can't say... Maybe if I danced with you your body would translate..." she sings along with the music remembering Waverly reach for out to her even with Champ's arms wrapped around hers... _Maybe you've got a chance_... "Maybe I should just pack it up and call it all off. Oh baby, maybe I'll reach you if I just play along." She pauses the song not sure she can handle anymore tension, feeling the push and pull of her emotions rocking back and forth like waves... _Waves... Oh Waves_... "I'm not sure I could let myself leave her even if I wanted to," she says, thinking about that undeniable, invisible connection she fells with this girl... no not just a girl... this woman. "Maybe I'll just do like the song says... play along. Maybe if I just keep waiting she'll realize it's really me she wants. She'll dump Champ and we can go on from there. It does seem like the universe is trying to tell me something." Nicole whispers to herself, shrugging towards the radio... _Yeah right Nicole... waiting on the straight (maybe not) woman to figure out her shit always works out... right?_

More movement, in what she imagines is Waverly's room, brings Nicole's attention back to reality. Nicole can't stop herself from putting the cruiser into neutral and rolling forward to get a better look. She pulls up closer to the house, but still keeps her car in the shadows outside of the flood lights that surround the homestead.

She turns the music back on, but she lowers the volume not wanting to reveal herself there, watching and waiting... What are you waiting for? I thought you didn't like to wait... "And love hurts... it's like a wreck that's only satisfied when it's met head on. So I'm driving down you freeway tonight without my headlights on..." she laughs to herself, saying "Freeway... driveway… well that's close enough."

Singing along again more softly this time, "Would you rather never know love, spend your life in black, or would you rather only love one person who could never love you back?" She unconsciously allows her patrol car to slip closer and closer to the lights of the homestead. She just wants to be closer to that shy smile, to those beautiful eyes, to that gorgeous, chestnut hair. She notices the curtains in Waverly's room twitch and knows she's busted... _Oh shit!_... She's slow to put the car in reverse and stops when she sees Waverly open the front door and come out onto the porch.

Nicole freezes at the sight of her, her breath catches hard in her throat. Waverly is only wearing a cut off tank top and some pajama bottoms, with a little blanket thrown over her bare shoulders. Nicole is enamored by the way the blanket is flowing around her body, lapping lightly in the wind. Waverly takes a step further out onto the porch and she puts her hand up to her brow to block her eyes from the light, thus exposing more of her skin than Nicole had seen since that first meeting. That familiar urge to just kiss her takes over again, and she lets the cruiser slowly roll right down into the driveway, into the lights. "What am I doing?" she whispers to herself.

She pulls up pretty close to the porch and puts in the cruiser in park, hesitant to get out... _She's just staring at you... You've got to do something or get out of here before you really embarrass yourself_... The music is wafting out the car window, and she can't take her eyes off of Waverly standing there, arms now wrapped around herself, attempting to fight off the night's chill. Nicole averts her eyes and takes a deep breath. She turns the volume up a good bit and steps out of the car allowing the music to bolster her. She looks up as she's getting out and meets Waverly's eyes again and the look on the brunette's face pulls her dimpled smile wide across her face. She doesn't take her eyes off Waverly as she makes her approach, singing along "Maybe I'll paint you a picture, so you can see what I can't say... Maybe if I danced with you, your body would translate," wrapping her arms around the now shivering Waverly, who seems to shiver harder with her touch. "Maybe I should just shut up and go home... Was that a shiver or was that a head shake... Oh baby maybe I'll reach you if I just play along..." Nicole finishes singing the line to Waverly, looking down deep into her eyes. Getting lost now, Nicole isn't sure what to do, so she looks away, resting her cheek on top of Waverly's head and just starts swaying back and forth to the music, dancing with Waverly there on the porch. She's sure she catches a twitch from the living room window's curtains but can't seem to pull herself way. Moving a hand up to Waverly's hair, stroking it softly, she realizes that the hands on her hips are moving down... _Down, down, down_... down to her legs. She gasps as the hands move back up the front of her body and come to rest curled up back against her chest. She becomes a little nauseous from all the stirring in her insides.

Looking back now into Waverly's eyes, astounded at being this close to her, Waverly says "Why don't you come inside? We should talk."


	2. Chapter 2

The song changes and Nicole recognizes it... _Secret by Missy Higgins_... "You were from the North, I was from the South... We were from opposite places, different towns... But I knew it was good and you knew it was too... And so we moved together like a ball and chain... Minds becoming two halves of the same... It was real, but in the shadows it grew... 'Cause you've got a secret... Don't you, babe?..." 

Still holding Waverly close to her, she studies the brunette’s face, looking for answers about what to say... _to do_... Nicole wants to go inside, wants nothing more than to hear what Waverly wants to say... _to do_... but she's on the clock. "Waverly, I can't." she says reluctantly, "I'm supposed to be on patrol right now, but to be honest I don't really remember how I got here. Maybe I'm just tired, I haven't been sleeping so well the last couple of nights," Nicole says with a kind of sheepish grin on her face. Hesitant, she continues, "But you could come out with me for a bit while I drive around. Maybe you could help me stay awake. You'll be safe, don't worry. I can't imagine much is gonna happen this late on a Tuesday." 

Waverly's eyes sparkle a little bit and she immediately turns back toward the door, opens it, throws the blanket inside and dips back out with her coat. "Let's go," giggling like she knows something Nicole doesn't. 

As they get to the car, Nicole rushes around to the passenger side and opens the door for Waverly. Looking up at her, Nicole sees a little smirk that makes her lilt a little. "The door sticks sometimes," Nicole says with a little shrug, not sure what that little smirk actually meant. 

After getting her settled in the car, Nicole walks slowly around the front of the car, willing herself not to look over at the beautiful brunette, because she can feel herself being watched by her passenger. Hopping in, Nicole puts on her seat belt and looks over to make sure Waverly has hers on. Waverly chooses that moment to reach over and put her hand on the officer's, wanting Nicole to look up at her eyes. "I'm really glad you showed up here tonight," Waverly whispers, and Nicole is sure she can see her own desire reflected in Waverly's eyes. After a moment, Waverly takes her hand back and folds it up in her lap with her other hand, looking like she's feeling a bit exposed. 

When Waverly turns her face away from Nicole's, the redhead notices that that the brunette's hair is damp. 'She must have been getting ready to shower when I first saw the light in her room come on,' Nicole thinks. She can't help herself but to lean over a little and take in a quiet breath through her nose, reveling in the sweet, citrus scent of the younger woman's shampoo. There's something complex about it, like it's not just oranges she's smelling, but the citrus is strong and the redhead can't place the underlying odor. It's almost intoxicating to the point of distraction as the smell permeates the air in the cruiser and Nicole struggles to pull herself back to reality as she begins to steer the car back up the driveway.

Sometime later, Nicole is wondering what Waverly could possibly want to talk about considering she hasn't said more than ten words since she got into the car. Feeling totally out of control, mind reeling, Nicole pulls off the road and parks the car, leaving her parking lights on for safety. "Waverly... What are you thinking about?" Nicole asks, timidly. 

 

Waverly is quiet for a long moment and Nicole wonders if she even heard her, but eventually Waverly responds, "You... You know, I'm not sure. I had this whole plan starting to form in my head when I saw you pull up on the homestead. But now, I'm not sure what I'm thinking." 

_ That pause... I wonder what she was gonna say before that oh so graceful recovery... Come on Nicole time to be blunt...  _

__

"Waverly, please tell me what's going on in that head of yours," Nicole pleads, totally at wits end. 

Waverly can see and hear the stress in the redhead's voice and blurts out, "I broke up with Champ today. He made a dumb joke about his boner and I just couldn't take it anymore. I just told him flat out... We're done, Champ. Yeah, we're done." 

Nicole reaches over and puts her hand on Waverly's knee, squeezing it gently as she says, “Well if you need a friend, I’m here for you.” 

Waverly puts her hand over Nicole's again and says, "That's not all I need from you Nicole." 

This causes both of them to blush, but Nicole is fast to recover from the sweaty, passionate, almost salacious thoughts that comment brings to the forefront of her mind and she decides to act... _at least a little_... She turns more toward Waverly, locking her eyes on to her hand on the brunette's knee, moving them both her up onto her thigh,  eyes continuing up over her stomach, up to her breasts, trying not to lose her senses and just take Waverly all those places in her head. 

Waverly reaches her hand across and places it on Nicole's cheek rubbing it with her thumb, using the movement to bring Nicole's eyes to hers and says, "Now Nicole, what are you thinking about?" 

Suddenly embarrassed by her inability to control her desire for this woman, Nicole turns away and sighs deeply, pushing down the rising heat in her face. She is devastated by the loss of Waverly's hand on her face, but lucky for her Waverly isn't going to give up that easy and she slips her hand around the back of Nicole's neck and pulls a little. "Please Nicole, I don't think I can stand for you to turn away from me like that. It feels like a rejection," Waverly husks out fighting back a sniffle. Nicole hears her sort of sniffling and turns back swiftly cursing herself for not just being honest with Waverly. After all this time of wanting her, needing her in her life even before she knew her; it’s almost too much... _God it is too much... Just kiss her already_... 

"Look, I think I want to be more than a friend to you too, but I need to know you're sure that... that... is something you really want, ‘cause I'm not sure I can handle being an experiment to you. I'm scared of being rejected, too." And at that Waverly pulls herself closer to Nicole with her hand still on the back of the redhead's neck. Nicole gives a little and soon their faces, their lips, are inches apart. Just staring into each other's eyes in silence, in between songs from the stereo, the seconds tick by. Each waiting for the other to make that last move. The next song comes and fills the silence... _Drive by Melissa Ferrick_... Waverly lets out a breathy sigh at the thrumming bass of the song, and Nicole takes the sigh in her own sharp breath and quickly closes the gap, pressing her lips hard against Waverly's, almost clacking their teeth together because the brunette's lips parted a little in shock at the quick, almost rough contact. 

It's not the mind blowing first kiss she was hoping for, having taken Waverly a little off guard, but she'll take it. Nicole pulls back resting her neck against Waverly's hand again. Smiling that sheepish smile, dimples punctuating it, she opens her eyes and finds Waverly's eyes still closed and her lips still sort of puckered and slightly open. It's almost like she's frozen that way. Nicole laughs a husky little laugh and apologizes, "I'm sorry Waverly. I don't know what came over me."

Waverly doesn't really hear her, doesn't respond, she's just too caught up in the song... "Your mouth waters... stretched out on my bed... your fingers are trembling and your heart is heavy and red... and your head is bent back and your back is arched... my hand is under there holding you up... I'll hold you up and drive you all night... I'll hold you up and drive you baby till you feel the daylight..." She's not sure but she thinks she can hear Nicole singing along, but her head is reeling from the words, leaving her swimming in her own desire. The brunette can feel Nicole's eyes boring into to her, and she can't help but lick her dry lips as she opens her eyes. "Mmm, I can guess," nodding her head toward the radio, "Have you listened to the lyrics of this song? Seems awfully suggestive to me. Who is this?" she asks with a big toothy grin and a wink.

"Oh, I think this is Melissa Ferrick," the redhead says as she shifts herself a little away from Waverly, feeling a little raw from all the tension between them. She reaches for her phone with her left hand, opening it clumsily, not wanting to remove her right hand from Waverly's thigh just yet. "Yep, Drive by Melissa Ferrick. I discovered her music the summer after my freshman year in college on my North American Womyn's Festival Tour. That was a great summer. I caught a bunch of different shows, 36 states and 6 provinces, just me, my car and my guitar. Too bad that car didn't survive, transmission just fell right out, right in the middle of the highway, I kinda miss it." She continues trying to reach some level of causality in her voice, trying not to think about just kissing Waverly again. 

The bartender in Waverly is used to listening to people's voices to help her determine their current level of intoxication. She notes the little bit of trepidation in the officer's voice... _Well Nicole's not drunk but she's certainly rambling a little like she does when she's tipsy_... "Wow. I had no idea you sang professionally. I mean... you... you have a beautiful voice. It must have been great to spend some time on the road. I've never really been anywhere," rambling a little herself, but trying to sound causal too.

Nicole laughs a little and says, "I'm not sure you'd call me a professional. I mostly just followed the festival circuit, playing and singing for anyone who would listen. In the parking lots, or during open mic times, or in the commune style camps that just kinda popped up at campsites in between shows, didn't matter to me I just wanted to sing. It seems kinda foolish or childish or whatever, but I just went out at the beginning of the summer with a little money I had saved up and lived that free spirited lifestyle my dad always reminisced about whenever he heard Janis Joplin, Bob Marley or Pink Floyd."

By this point, they have both kind of shifted away from each other, retreating mostly to their respective sides of the cruiser, with the exception of Nicole's hand still on Waverly's thigh. The brunette looks down at it. Immediately, Nicole feels guilty about it still being there, and starts to pull it away only to have Waverly stay her hand, whispering "You can leave that there if you want. I like it there, if that's ok?" 

Nicole relaxes her hand back down and glances at the clock and suddenly curses, "Shit, I'm so fired. I'm gonna miss the shift change again. My shift is up in 20 minutes and it'll take me at least double that to get you back home and get back to the station. Shit, shit, shit!" Nicole's pulse starts racing and she pulls her hand away from Waverly, losing her breath at the loss of contact. She hears the brunette's breath hitch in her throat too, when she slams the cruiser into to drive and guns it a little only to pop it into neutral, pull up the emergency brake and cut the wheel, performing an almost perfect 180 degree drift turn in the dirt. Nicole laughs a little at Waverly's absolutely stunned expression and shyly apologizes, "Sorry, police training taught us all about defensive and aggressive driving. I've kinda always wanted to do that in real life," she explained and glanced over at the brunette's face.

Waverly is still a little in shock, but snaps out of it quickly, "THAT WAS TOTALLY AMAZE-BALLS!" she yells a little louder than she means to, slapping a hand against the redhead's shoulder. She composes herself a little before continuing, much softer, "Can we do that again?"

Nicole chuckles a little, "If you thought that was amaze-balls," letting the last words come out with a fair amount of sarcastic tint, "then you should come off-roading with me sometime. It's a total thrill. Maybe we could go Monday, if you're not working that is? We wouldn't have to make a whole day of it. I'm sure we could even find places to ride on your homestead, so we stay close to home in case there’s an accident or something... Uh... What do you think?" 

Waverly grins and responds, "I'd love to go riding you... with you," she stuttered, just laying the innuendo out there in the open. The redhead's flushes and she can't help herself but to wink at the officer before she continues, "I don't have to work on Monday. What time you wanna come over?" 

"I'll... I'll have to saddle up the quad into my truck so I could be at the homestead probably around eight am. Sound good?" she asks, barely hiding her excitement of the possibility of some more alone time with this beautifully fantastic woman. 

"Hmm... Wynonna will probably be pissed if we start making noise around the house any earlier than ten. But show up at eight anyway and we can go out for breakfast first," Waverly suggests.

"Eight am it is." Nicole says, not hiding her excitement anymore, she leans over and pops a quick peck onto Waverly's cheek and continues, "Sorry I've got to run. Maybe I can come up with some excuse on the way to the station that'll make Nedley let me keep my job."

The brunette laughs and tells her, "Just blame me. Or well... maybe blame Wynonna. I'm sure she's drunk enough by now to warrant a drunken disorderly charge and she won't even remember you let her off with a warning." Waverly gestures toward the porch, as they are pulling down the driveway, where Wynonna is slumped over, swaying on the bench by the door, swinging a bottle around in a circle in her hand.

"Hmm that sounds perfect. Except if Wynonna ever figures out I lied about her to Nedley she'll probably try to kill me. I see how hard she's trying to be good, for herself and for you," Nicole confesses. 

Waverly doesn't know what to say and doesn't have a chance to reply really because Nicole puts the cruiser in park and gets out of the car. The redhead turns her head, and looks over at the brunette as she crosses in front of the car this time and smiles that big dimple smile when her eyes meet Waverly's. Nicole opens the door and offers Waverly her hand to help her get out of the car. The brunette accepts the gesture and uses the contact to pull herself close to the officer. With a nervous look to Wynonna, Waverly realizes the elder Earp is totally out of it and she whispers, "I can't wait for Monday." She winks at Nicole and darts up on to her tip toes and plants a quick kiss on Nicole's lips and with great effort pulls herself away. Walking up on to the porch in a determined manner, she takes Wynonna's hand and pulls it over her shoulder, supporting some of her sister's weight as she guides her inside. At the last moment, just before closing the door she looks back and finds Nicole still watching her. She smiles again and waves a little wave. Nicole returns the smile and the wave and turns to her cruiser.


	3. Chapter 3

When Nicole arrives at the station 20 minutes later, she walks straight for the front desk and plops her Stetson down on the counter in an effort to get Lieutenant Joe Fernandez to look up at her. Without even raising an eyebrow he says," You're late, Haught. What'd you do, get lost again?" 

With a smirk, Nicole replies, "Actually, I did get lost... sort of... and I'll have you know I did have to gas up the cruiser when I got in it and I filled up again before I came back here... so I guess we're even?" The insinuation heavy in her words, Fernandez realizes he must have forgotten to fill up the cruiser yesterday when he and Nicole had done a shift change a little over 12 hours before. Policy is to fill the tank before coming back to the station after a patrol.

Fernandez looks up and puckers his lips a little and says, "I guess you're lucky Nedley headed home a couple hours ago." 

Nicole assumes she is off the hook and tries to give him a warm smile. She knows she is right about the Sheriff's fill up policy, but she hates she had to kind of blackmail her co-worker in order to get out of her own mess. Feeling guilty she says, "Sorry about that, Joe. I didn't mean I was gonna blackmail you or anything. I don't know why I said that. We're a team and we shouldn't use small mistakes against each other. What do you say we just forget about the last few minutes, huh?"

Fernandez considers for a second and then smiles, "Sure thing, Nicole. You have a good rest of your night."

She says, "Thanks, you too! Don't work too hard..." She turns on her heel and heads for the locker room. As she gathers her things to leave for the night, she thinks back to the events of the last few hours and decides she was looking for an adventure, but got a romance instead and she is definitely ok with that. She feels a little flutter of her pulse when she thinks back to her hand on Waverly's thigh... _Mmm time to go home_... All gear safely tucked into her duffle bag, she heads out to the parking lot.

Pulling up to her little rental house about ten minutes later, she notices she forgot to leave the porch lights on for herself, again. She parks her truck in front of the one side of the two car garage and gets out, flashlight in hand because the light at the street doesn't reach all the way to the house. Shining the light around, she feels kind of silly checking her perimeter for intruders. She puts those thoughts out of her head and proceeds to the door, unlocks it and heads inside. Flipping the lights on reveals everything just as she left it. Her rental house is small, but it’s all hers, something she was adamant about when she moved here. No roommates, no apartment buildings. All she wanted was her own little space. Walking through the living room, she looks around to take in all she accomplished in her little space since she moved in, especially considering she had only lived here about two months. 

 

The living room is cozy with an L shape to the furniture. A big comfy armchair, an end table with a vintage style lamp and a three seat couch along the wall to the left make up the L. A well-used, but well maintained, fireplace sits built into the wall to the left of the couch with a big shag rug covering a section of the hardwood floor in front of the fireplace. The remaining side of the room is taken up by a sizable entertainment system, really dominating the room, with a large flat screen TV, a gaming system or two, an expensive blue-ray player and an antique record player that she inherited from her father. A set of surround sound speakers are strategically mounted around the room with wiring running neatly to the entertainment center. Nicole had designed the audio set up so that when she watched a movie it was like being in the theater or listening to music was like being at a concert. The redhead could be a real audiophile sometimes.

To the right of media center is an open archway to the kitchen. The room is small, but all Nicole really needs room for is her fancy coffee maker that she spent way too much money on. Having a refrigerator is also nice, because she has somewhere to keep the cream for coffee, but that’s not really all that necessary because she could drink her coffee with or without it. Coffee is pretty much the most important food group, to her anyways. She did keep a few staples around as far as food went, but she couldn't remember a single time she had actually used the stove or the oven.

Through another archway next to the fridge is the mudroom/laundry room with a washer and dryer and a deep utility sink and her cat’s, Mimir (my-mer), litterbox. Nicole begins to wonder where her feline friend could be and makes a little calling sound for her. With no visual or vocal response she assumes her little silver tabby is probably sleeping on her bed. Nicole is surprised she wasn’t already under her feet, meowing loudly. She could be very vocal when she wasn’t getting her way, especially when it came to dinner time. The redhead refills the food bowl and quickly scoops the litter box, hoping Mimir would appreciate not having to sing for her supper, so to speak.

Nicole continues on her journey through the house, heading down the short hallway off to the right that leads to the garage. Usually, Nicole came in this way because this is where one of her three gun safes is located, but the garage door is broken and she's just waiting for a back ordered part to come in at the hardware store in town in order to fix it. She opens the safe and locks her service weapon inside for the night. She strips off her jacket and her utility belt and hangs them side by side on the coat rack on the opposite wall of the safe. She bends down and unties her boots and kicks them off and then stalks back to the kitchen for a glass of water before bed. She stands at the sink drinking her water staring out through the window into the dark yard, lost in her thoughts, her thoughts of Miss Waverly Earp.

Heading up the stairs, she misses a step and nearly ends up sliding down the stairs on her knees. Catching herself with a hand to the handrail, she steadies herself and continues up the stairs... _Get your head in the game here... Fantasizing about Waverly will be best done in bed_... Finally at the top, she is nearly pushed back down the stairs by the force Mimir uses to ambush her legs is a brush-by petting. Knowing Mimir can be stand offish sometimes too, she ignores the little fur ball and heads right to her bedroom and immediately peels out of her uniform and throws on some sweats. Feeling much more comfortable, she heads to the bathroom and is half way through her bedtime routine when she catches her reflection in the mirror. Examining herself again, like she had in her computer screen only hours before, she notices a small but significant change. The darkened circles under her eyes seem to have all but disappeared. She smiles at herself and finishes brushing her teeth. She takes out her contacts, slides on her glasses and looks back at herself, giving herself a goofy grin in the process. She always hated how she looked in glasses and turns quickly towards the bedroom. She crosses to the pile of clothes she had just dropped, unceremoniously, all over the floor of her bedroom. She bends down and picks up the pile and walks over to the closet and drops the uniform shirt, and her bra into a hamper. She digs her phone out of the pocket of her uniform pants and drops those in too. 

Finally ready for bed, she climbs in under the covers, realizing immediately that she forgot to turn off the bathroom light and scurries out from under the covers to rectify that problem. Settling back into the bed, she reaches over to the nightstand to turn off the bedside lamp, but hesitates when she sees her phone light up. Unlocking the phone, she sees a text from Waverly.

 

 

Waverly- So... are you fired?   3:30 am

Nicole wonders what the young Earp is still doing up, but decides not to answer a question a question, because it seems kind of rude.

3:33 am   Nicole- Nah. Joe let me off the hook. He kinda owed me one. 

After just a moment, Nicole sees that Waverly is typing a response. 'Thanks, Apple,' she thinks. A moment later the texts comes through.

 

 

Waverly- Good. Well... Goodnight, Officer Haught.   3:34 am

Nicole doesn't even think about her response.

 

 

3:35 am   Nicole- Goodnight, Miss Waverly Earp.

 

 

Nicole loves it when Waverly calls her Officer Haught. It makes her feel sort of powerful and sexy. Imaging Waverly calling her that here in her bedroom sends a little shock through the redhead and she sighs. She realizes she had never done this before, had never thought of Waverly in her bedroom. She had never allowed herself that hope that she knew those fantasies would foster, but now... _Now that she had touched her... had kissed her_... now she lets that hope sink in deep. 

 

She starts to put her phone down and realizes that her music app is still playing. She swipes over to the app intending to close it but, with a smirk, decides to turn the volume up. Somehow, _Drive_ had cycled back around and thinking of earlier when the song had played and the feeling of her hand on the brunette's slim firm thigh, she instinctively slides her hand down and rests it on her own thigh. Moving it slowly up and down her thigh, she imagines what she would have... _could have... should have_... done with her hand earlier. She brings her hand up her thigh and up over her hip to dip down just past the waistband of her sweats, imaging what it would feel like to have slid her hand up over Waverly's hip and she shivers with anticipation as she pushes her hand down herself further, sneaking into her underwear. She begins by cupping her already slightly damp mound and pulling up a little, pumping lightly. Just envisioning touching Waverly this way is heating her skin like it never had before when she was alone, and she runs her other hand over her stomach and chest in a feeble attempt to cool it down. She raises one leg up in the bed, bending at the knee, allowing herself better access to her own body. Slipping her hand down again, she pushes down harder with two fingers and slicks her fingers up from her gate to the latch and sets herself on unlocking it. Pushing and pulling and circling those fingers against herself causes her breath to catch suddenly in her chest and she forces the breath back out in a low moan and remembers when she made Waverly's breath catch earlier with their faces so close... _so close now_... and thinks of rushing her fingers through Waverly's damp short hairs and exploring her like this and every muscle clenches and stutters and flutters and then clenches again in delicious release... 

_ Yeah this has just begun... because we haven’t even gotten started yet... I haven't even... I haven't even tied you up... I haven't even turned you over... This is where I want to live... right here between your hips... where all the love you hold and hide... It’s where it lives... right here between your hips... This is where I want to live... It’s where all the love you give exist... _

__

 

~~~

 

 

The next morning, Nicole wakes up with her hand still resting in her sweats, her glasses slightly askew and a cat on her chest. She grins guiltily at herself and removes her hand. She scratches Mimir behind the ears, trying to wake her up gently. Sleepily Mimir looks at her, yawns and lays her head back down. Nicole smiles and laughs a little before using both arms to scoop up the little critter and plops her down on the other side of the bed. Obviously miffed, Mimir scampers off the bed and out of the room. 

 

Nicole rolls over to check the time, seeing that she slept a solid eight hours and would have to rush to hit the gym before her shift started at two pm. She'd have to shower at the gym and scurries around to get her gym clothes together. In the kitchen, she throws some already ground coffee into the coffee maker, deciding pre-ground is the way to go because she’s in a rush, even though it’s not the good stuff, it’ll do. Next, she scurries to check the cat’s food and water bowls, Mimir is mostly a nighttime eater but the redhead still wanted her little fluff ball to have access to food whenever. She finds an empty food bowl and a dirty water bowl. She quickly rectifies both situations and moves through the house to leave. Sometimes, she wonders if Mimir is lonely there all the time by herself and had considered getting her a kitten as a playmate, but she just hadn’t had the time. Running out the door minutes later, she curses as she realizes she forgot her sidearm in the gun safe and rushes back inside to retrieve it. She would definitely need that for work today.

 

The trip to the gym is uneventful, and even a little monotonous... _Arms day... Ugh..._  

 

She pulls into the parking lot of the station with 20 minutes to spare before her shift starts and she hustles down the street to the only quick place in town with decent breakfast food this late in the day, the coffee shop. Grabbing a pastry and black cup of coffee, she turns to find herself a seat wanting to enjoy her last couple minutes of freedom before returning to the station for what is sure to be a boring afternoon and probably even more boring evening. 

 

The coffee shop isn't terribly busy, so she settles into one of the bar seats at the window, looking out across Main Street toward Shorty's. She's absolutely delighted when who should come out the front door of the saloon, but Wynonna Earp, with Waverly following soon behind. Encumbered by two decent sized cardboard boxes, Waverly shuffles over to her Jeep and loads her cargo in the back. She calls out to Wynonna who is confidently striding away from her toward the station. Wynonna turns, waves a reply before heading off up the street. Nicole sits and just stares at the younger woman as she climbs into the Jeep herself, mesmerized for a moment by the little strip of exposed skin between the Earp's Shorty's cut off top and the high waisted denim jeans she is wearing. Nicole barely notices as the Jeep backs out of its parking spot and drives off, lost in her thoughts, imagining what it would be like to feel that bare strip of skin pressed tight against her own skin... _Man you've really got it bad_... "Yeah, you're telling me," she whispers into her coffee before draining the last sip. She collects her dirty dishes and deposits them in the designated bin by the door. She exits and turns up the street toward the station, hoping she can keep her mind on walking, instead of Waverly.


	4. Chapter 4

Nicole's afternoon turns out to be everything she expected it to be. Manning the front desk at the sheriff's office is not a glamourous job. Shuffling papers around the office, filing reports, handing out the mail as it came in, and answering the non-emergency phone line are her specified duties for this part of her shift and she hates it. She'd been through a lot to get where she is, and yet here she is, not much more than an armed secretary. 

 

Deep in her thoughts, Nicole is jolted when she finds that Chrissy Nedley, her boss' daughter, is standing expectantly in front her. "Oh... Hey Chrissy. What can I do for you?"

 

"Uh... Were you not listening? I was asking if I was gonna see you out at the murder house Saturday night?" Chrissy asks curtly.

 

"The murder house? What?" Nicole exclaims.

 

Chrissy opens her mouth to reply, looking slightly embarrassed, but hesitates a moment. "Oh... you know... the Earp homestead... That's what some of us townies call it. I guess it's kinda rude now that I think about it..." She slumps her shoulders a little, looking more and more embarrassed as she goes on.

 

Nicole takes a moment to take in the young blonde. She's wearing a pair of khaki slacks and a simple black baby-doll style button down. Nicole notices a smudge or two on her collar and a couple more spots down the front of her shirt that looks like a coffee spill. Trying to distract the blonde from her slight stare, she says, "What are you talking about Chrissy?"

 

"Oh well... Waverly is throwing a party Saturday night for Steph's newest engagement, and I figured she would have invited you. You guys seem to be getting... close," Chrissy says, obviously recovered from her embarrassment, with a wink. Nicole acts confused by that statement, combined with the wink and lets it show on her face. Chrissy continues, dropping the volume of her voice to almost a whisper, "Oh come on Officer Haught, you can't honestly be trying to play dumb. I've seen the way you look at Waverly. Like a couple hours ago, at the coffee shop, complete awe. I could swear I saw you stop breathing when she climbed up into her Jeep."

 

Nicole looks away from Chrissy, unexpectedly embarrassed herself, red flushing her cheeks, she whispers, "God, is it that obvious?"

 

 

Chrissy puts a hand out onto Nicole's shoulder, and sort of pats it in an, albeit, awkward attempt to reassure the redhead. "I really only noticed it today, but once I saw that look on your face, I knew I had seen it before, when Waverly passed through here last week on her way to the Black Badge office. You remember, right? I was in here talking with my dad about my broken down P.O.S. of a car." 

 

Of course Nicole does. She remembers the way Waverly all but skipped though the front door with Wynonna hot on her heels, only to come to a stop several feet in front of the front desk, grinning fiercely back over her shoulder at Wynonna, arms raised comically, like she had won a race. Nicole remembers absolutely everything about Waverly that day, every little detail. That forest green top with the gold tassels that brought out the green and gold in her eyes. It had lacey see through shoulders and sleeves and an oh-so-plunging neckline. Nicole smiles when she remembers that cute brown suede skirt with black buttons up the front, and her bare legs sticking up out of those furry leather boots with the little fuzzy pom-poms at the ends of the ties at the top. 

 

"Yes, yes Waves. I'm glad you're here too, but we've got work to do. Come on," Wynonna had said gesturing towards the back of the building, towards the Black Badge office. The next moment the brunette had turned and caught Nicole's gaze and blinked at the blushing redhead, a coy smile creeping onto her face before she walked up the hall after Wynonna, swinging her hips as she went and Nicole's eyes couldn't help but follow.

 

Snapping her attention back to the present, Nicole smiles innocently and replies, "Of course I remember. How is your car doing, by the way?" 

 

"Don't go trying to change the subject on me. I think it’s cute the way you look at her, like a puppy looking at her new owner. It’s sweet and Waverly deserves someone to look at her that way. She's had a rough life, but there's no better person, no one more deserving, than Waverly. She's always been such a good friend to me. It’s not easy making friends being the sheriff's only daughter, you now? I want nothing but the best for her. I just hope you keep in mind who my father is if you hurt her," Chrissy says in a matter of fact sort of way, but smiles when she sees Nicole's eyes glisten a little.

 

"Thanks, Chrissy, I'll keep that mind. I mean nothing's really... uh... happening between us, so I'm not even sure your thinly veiled threats are warranted," Nicole protests. She realizes that what she has just said is a lie, at least some of it was so she continues with a smile she hopes is reassuring, "But, you should know, I've made it my personal goal that never happens," she half chokes out, nothing but honesty and sincerity in her voice.

 

Chrissy smiles and nods and moves past the front desk towards her dad's office. Nicole breaths in deep in relief. She steadies her nerves. The redhead definitely had not expected that conversation to happen, but is glad it did. Musing over it again in her head, she lets her mind wander over why the homestead was called the murder house and what that had to do with Waverly. 

 

She had heard a few strange rumors about the young Earp's past and about the Earp family in general, but she hadn't actually searched for the facts. Nicole decides to try to get some from Waverly the next time she has a chance to talk to her alone. Maybe before Monday, but if not definitely then.

 

 

~~~

 

Eventually, Nicole is relieved of her shift and she hastily gathers her things and heads for the parking lot. Settling her gear in the passenger seat of her truck, she hears a noise behind her and turns to find one Champ Hardy leaning against the wall of the station, obviously a bit drunk and really pissed. His clothes are totally disheveled, the collar on his button up plaid shirt hanging wide open and to the side, half the shirt is untucked and only one of the legs of his pants is tucked snugly into his cowboy boots, the other bunched up at his calf. He looks like he got dressed in the dark, still drunk and scrambling away from an already forgotten one night stand. Nicole's gaze snaps back up to his face when he speaks. "Don't think for a second that for you can go anywhere near Waverly. I saw you two cruising in your cop car last night. How dare you try to take advantage of Waverly when she was obviously so broken up over our break-up?" Champ growls and spits on the ground by the officer's feet. He starts to move towards Nicole as he continues, "The last thing she needs in her life is some dyke cop trying to feel her up." 

 

Nicole tenses her muscles, poising them for self-defense if need be as Champ starts his shuffle towards her. When she hears him throw out those last few words, her arms flex and she fights down the urge to knock him flat on his ass. "Champ, she didn't seem that broken up to me," she says with a wink and a shrug and she is glad she did shrug, because Champ closes the short distance fast at that blatant insinuation and starts to swing his right fist toward her ribs. The little shrug positions her elbow in just the right spot so all Nicole has to do is bend her elbow a bit and Champ cries out in pain, clearly breaking something in his hand, as he drives his fist right in the hardest part of her elbow. Champ hops away howling, but turns immediately back towards the officer with raw hatred in his eyes and tries to rush her with his head low, like a linebacker trying to rush a quarterback. Nicole jumps to her left and grabs ahold of Champ's right wrist and uses his momentum against him to twist his broken hand up behind his back. Nicole uses her leverage on his arm to push him up against the side of her truck. She whips her free hand behind her back and it comes back around handcuffs at the ready, slipping one over Champ's captured wrist and then dragging that hand around to meet his left arm that is flailing wildly trying to remain free from her grasp. Nicole easily overpowers him, though, with another tweak of his right shoulder and slips the other side of the handcuffs onto his left wrist. In complete control over Champ now she puts one hand on his back and pushes him a little harder against the truck and takes a deep breath. On her exhale, she recites with some familiarity, "You are under arrest. Do you understand?" Champ nods, defeated. "You have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay. We will provide you with a lawyer referral service, if you do not have your own lawyer. Anything you say can be used in court as official testimony. Do you understand?" Another nod and she places her hand on the crook of Champ's arm and escorts Champ to the side door of the station, and through it to the holding cells.

 

Giving Champ a light push as he enters the first cell, Nicole quickly grabs the door and all but slams it shut, letting a little anger seep into her actions. Joe Fernandez stirs from the front desk at the sounds of movement and walks up just as Nicole is locking the cell. He clears his throat and Nicole turns, with a bashful grin on her face she says, "Lieutenant, I'd like to report a 270. Champ here just took a couple swings at me in the parking lot." 

 

Fernandez raises his eyebrows at Champ and asks, "Haught, you ok?"

 

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious he's had a few too many tonight. Came at me with a haymaker to the ribs, saw it coming a mile away and caught it with my elbow instead. Pretty sure there's something broken in his hand. You wanna to drive him to the hospital or you want me to do it?" Nicole asks, clearly not wanting to take up the task. 

 

Fernandez smiles and says, "Don't worry about it Haught, I'll take him. You might wanna get some ice on that elbow, looks a little swollen to me. Go on home and when you come back in for work you can give a formal statement. When's you next shift?"

 

"I'm not on again til Friday night, eight to eight," Nicole replies, hoping she won't have to come into the station on her day off tomorrow.

 

"Ok, that’ll work. Go home and get some rest," Fernandez repeats, as he walks Nicole back out the side door, to her truck.

 

"Thanks, Joe." Nicole says as he opens the driver's side door for her. All settled in, she waves at him as he slips back inside the station.

 

Nicole takes a few steadying breaths before cranking the truck, not knowing how to feel.

 

 

~~~

 

 

Arriving at home, Nicole notices the porch light is out. She swears under breath. She's positive she left the porch light on for herself today. She pulls out her flashlight and scans the porch with the light it provides. There's something on the doormat and she hustles out of the truck and goes to investigate. She finds that she didn't forget to leave the porch light on, somebody had broken the fixture and bulb, leaving little bits of glass everywhere. Sweeping her light over the doormat, she realizes someone left a little gift. Sitting square in the middle is a still warm, smoldering even, bag of what she can only assume is dog shit. She thanks her lucky stars that the she had bought the rubber doormat instead of the woven grass one she had looked at originally, otherwise her little house may have burned to the ground.

 

She quickly takes out her phone, taking pictures of everything, the damaged light fixture, the glass all over the porch and the doormat. As she's snapping pictures, she notices a note crudely carved deep into her front door. 

 

 

**_ Stay away from her. I mean it. _ **

Nicole shudders and realizes this must have been where Champ went first in his drunken anger tonight. She snaps a picture of it and then decides she is going to have to call Fernandez and let him to know she wanted someone to come out and file a report for the damage. Replacing the charred doormat would be one thing, but replacing the door would be expensive and she sure as hell wasn't going to pay for it.

 

After getting off the phone with Fernandez, she settles into the couch with a short glass of whiskey to wait for an officer to come out. After about an hour or so, Joe, himself, shows up and goes over her porch thoroughly, collecting samples and fingerprints, sketching the scene as well as taking pictures of everything. 

 

The sun comes up as he's wrapping up his investigation. He starts to take an official statement from Nicole and she sleepily answers a few questions. He can tell she's too tired to continue and he excuses himself telling her, "Don't worry, Haught. If Champ had anything to do with this we'll nail him on it."

 

Nicole flops down into bed finally, after checking to make sure her sub-compact pistol is loaded, with one in the chamber and tucked into the top drawer of her nightstand. Mimir comes to join her in the bed almost immediately. They snuggle in together and Nicole can’t help but to ponder on her need for the security of the firearm, wondering if it's being there is driven by fear or just her need to be prepared for anything. She finally falls into a fitful sleep, her dreams wrecked by nightmares of Champ taking his drunken, violent anger out on Waverly instead of her.


	5. Chapter 5

Staying in the bed as long as she can stand it, Nicole finally pushes herself out of bed about two in the afternoon. She finds comfort in her morning routine. She enjoys a long hot shower, and then she gets dressed for the gym. She decides to make herself some excellent Guatemalan dark roast coffee and oatmeal for breakfast, deciding that will do instead of her usual protein shake before the gym. Today is kickboxing and sparring day, so she's sure she's going to need the energy. She is looking forward to a good sparring match to help her work out some aggression from the night before. She just hopes she can find a worthy partner. The last couple of times she had been at the gym for sparring day she found herself paired with a woman who didn't know much about defending herself. Nicole had spent most of time teaching the woman than actually getting a work out. She didn't mind teaching her, but this time she wanted a challenge.

 

Despite her reservations, the trip to the gym is excellent. She works through some of her frustration in her kickboxing class, the movement melding with the music filling her with adrenaline and endorphins. After the class, she heads to the little cafe, if you could really call it that, and gets herself a protein smoothie. The oatmeal hadn't lasted as long as she wanted and as she stands sipping the drink, she spots a familiar face coming through the front doors of the gym.

Nicole's eyes give Deputy Marshall Dolls a once over, taking in his black UnderArmor top and grey sweat pants, before moving to intercept him as he's about to enter the studio where the sparring equipment had been set up for today. "Hello, Marshall," Nicole says with a nod as she opens the door for him.

 

A little unsettled, Dolls says, "Oh hello... Officer Haught. You here for sparring practice?" 

 

Nicole notices he's off center about something, but doesn't mention it, instead casually replying, "Uh yeah. You?"

 

"Well yeah. Otherwise I'd be heading for the free weights," Dolls says, with bit of sarcasm, as he points over toward the weight training equipment. 

 

Nicole can see that Wynonna must be rubbing off on him, "Well do you have a sparring partner? I've been looking for a challenge for a while and I think I might give you one too."

 

Dolls smirks, and says, "Sure thing, Haught. Gimme a few minutes to gets my wrist wraps and gloves on. You wanna do, what, three 5 minute rounds?"

 

Nicole smiles a devilish smirk and replies, "Yeah, let's see how far you get."

 

The Marshall can't help but to laugh at that, "Ha. Yeah we'll see."

 

They walk together over to one of the three unoccupied sparing mats, separating when they reach the ring painted on the mat, one to one side of the ring, the other to the other. They each settle on the bench in their corner. Nicole takes a sip of her protein shake, not really feeling hungry anymore... _What have I gotten herself into?_... Dolls is a government agent, of the secretive Black Badge Division and he will know what he is doing in that ring. This isn't scuffling with a mostly drunk Champ Hardy behind the sheriff's station at two in the morning. Her earlier confidence wanes a little, and she gets up to throw away the half a smoothie she knows she's not going to finish. 

 

Walking back toward the bench, she realizes Dolls is watching her. He's sizing her up. That brings a little of that confidence flooding back. She is an ex-Army corporal for Christ's sake and she had seen her fair share of combat, both on and off the practice mat. She steels her nerves and heads over to her duffel bag to retrieve her own wraps and gloves. She pauses for a moment and then decides against her knee and elbow pads. She begins wrapping her wrists, falling comfortably into the familiar routine feeling of having done this hundreds of times. 

 

Dolls' voice breaks her from her musings, "Hey, you about ready there Haught?"

 

"Sure thing." She replies as she turns, grabbing her mouth guard, and popping it into her mouth as she walks out onto the mat. 

 

About two feet apart now, Nicole offers her hand to Dolls and he smiles and accepts. She then walks over the table in the center of the room, central to the four sparring mats and sets the round clock... _It’s gonna be a long five minutes_... She looks back over at Dolls and he nods, slipping his mouth guard in. Nicole starts the countdown. 

 

Dolls immediately starts circling to her right, bouncing on his toes. Nicole counters to her left, like they're dancing together. Dolls jukes forward and to the left and almost lands a quick jab on Nicole's abs. She sees it coming and fades back crossing her arm into front of her to guard her body. She barely avoids his fist. She thinks, 'Wow he is fast. Like faster than he should be for being such a big guy. Yeah, he is definitely not Champ Hardy.' She gets her head back into the game when she feels him land a cross to her jaw. Not a hard hit, but enough to wake her up and as he's feigning to the side, he's bringing his other fist up. She steps inside his reach this time and grabs his wrist turning her hips into his and pulls hard with her hand around his wrist. Dolls' feet leave the mat and it seems like forever before they hit the mat with a thud. 

 

Suddenly, there's a heavy weight on his chest as Nicole settles into the mount grappling position, her thighs straddling his waist, her upper body tucked up against his and they're struggling for control over his wrist. Nicole feels an adrenaline rush from throwing Dolls over her shoulder with only a simple thrust of her hip. She is quite pleased with herself for the forward flip over top him at the end too, allowing her gain the advantage on the ground. Now she just has to get him to tap. 

 

She wraps one forearm around his arm, locking his elbow into hers, keeping a hold of his wrist with her other hand. He knows exactly where this is going and clasps his hands together, snaked inside her arms. She pushes her weight down on his stomach forcing the air out of his lungs. Feeling him out of breath, she posts up to one knee and swings her long leg around and over his neck. She can't believe that this arm bar might actually work. She slips one leg through his encircled arms, and quickly follows suit with the other, crossing her legs across his chest. She pulls hard back against his wrist and thrusts her hips into his shoulder at the same time and Dolls' grip slips and she has control of his wrist, but unfortunately not his shoulder. He shifts his shoulder down so he can turn his wrist in her grip to keep his elbow bent. Nicole jerks on his wrist again trying to straighten out his elbow, only she just doesn't have the leverage to combat against his brute strength. 

 

She hears words in her head, her Army combat instructor's voice, clear as day. "Find a way to use their strength against them. It’s the only way you can win," and with that Nicole slips his wrist from her grip and pushes it behind her left arm and rolls her body up over him, swinging one leg up over his head, bringing her weight over the leg that is crossing his throat, essentially kneeling on the mat with one shin over his throat. She keeps control of his arm with her armpit. She shifts her leg and pushes down with all her body weight. She sees a moment of distress on Dolls face as he realizes that she's about to choke him out with her shin and he taps wildly at the leg with his free hand. 

 

Nicole immediately releases his wrist and untangles herself from him, standing up and offering him her hand to help him up. He graciously accepts it and smiles as she pulls him up off the mat. "Well, Haught... that was... educational. I guess I shouldn't be surprised someone of your rank knows how to take care of herself up close."

 

Nicole eyes him warily, suspicious of his tone, "What do you mean my rank? How'd... How do you know I served?"

 

"Well, I... I may have run a background check on you, you know, after that day you barged into the BBD. I needed to know if you could be trusted, in case you had seen anything sensitive or classified." Dolls says, wavering at first, but building his stoic walls back up as he continues, "Just so you know, it was a my-eyes-only report. You don't have to worry about me spilling your secrets," and with that he excuses himself to quickly gather his things, muttering something to himself about "No rest for the wicked," and he exits without another word.

 

 

~~~

 

 

A couple hours later, Nicole is home and showered and trying to occupy herself with her music, but she can't concentrate. She sits in the second "bedroom" in her house and looks around, again marveling in how much work she had accomplished in her home in the last couple months. She had converted the bedroom into an almost professional recording studio. Replacing the door and door frame were the most recent renovations to the sound proofing in the room, pretty much sealing out any sound from inside or outside the house. She is surrounded by instruments and equipment. She surveys the instruments and selects her father's vintage Alvarez guitar. Picking it up, she begins strumming, just kind of playing chords hoping she can string something together that sounds good.

 

An hour or so passes, just playing around and she gets bored. She heads to the kitchen to peruse her limited take out menu collection to order herself an early dinner. Staring at the menus, her phone buzzes, indicating a text message.

 

Waverly- So... I heard a rumor at Shorty's today that kinda surprised me. Did you arrest Champ last night?   5:45pm

 

Nicole considers for a few moments, typing and deleting several different messages before finalizing her reply.

5:49pm    Nicole- Yes. He sort of attacked me on my way to my truck last night after my shift. He was pretty drunk.

Not more than 30 seconds later, the reply pops up.

 

 

Waverly- What? Are you ok? What happened?   5:49pm

 

Nicole quickly types her response. She doesn't want to get into too much detail, but she decides it's best to be brief, but honest.

 

 

5:52pm   Nicole- Yeah. Tired but uninjured. Wish I could say the same for Champ tho. Pretty sure he broke his hand.

 

When the little indicator dots come up showing Waverly's responding, Nicole holds her breath, hoping the brunette won't be mad at her for beating up her ex. Finally, the text comes through.

Waverly- This is sooo too much for texting. I have so many questions. Are you busy? Wanna meet for coffee or something?   5:54pm

 

Nicole chastises herself when she thinks of responding, 'What like a date?' She knows that would be pretty tactless, but there's a small part of her that wants it to be just that. She eventually replies, deliberately trying to be vague so she doesn't offend the little brunette with the rejection.

5:59pm Nicole- I'm pretty beat. Not sure I'm up for being in public right now. 

The reply flashes up on her phone faster than she thought possible.

 

 

Waverly- Well... Maybe I could just come over to your place then?   5:59pm

 

Nicole isn't quite sure if that is a better idea or a worse idea, but she concedes to herself that seeing Waverly is always a good idea. She send a quick affirmative text to the brunette, followed immediately by her address.

Nicole quickly gets up and rushes to her bedroom to change, leaving the door to her studio open, which she never does because cat hair and expensive electronics don't really mix well, but she's in a rush. She pulls off her sweats and tank top and hustles into her closet trying to find something to wear. She finally decides on a solid colored button down flannel and some hip hugging, boot cut jeans. She starts to put on her socks and realizes she's not actually going anywhere and slips them off. She realizes she probably only has a few more minutes before Waverly arrives and rushes down to the kitchen to put on a fresh pot of coffee. Grinding the beans takes a little time, but fresh ground is the best and just before she's ready to press the on button on the coffee machine, she hears tires in the driveway. She all but runs from the kitchen to the living room and peeks through the blinds to see Waverly's red Jeep bumping up the drive. Nicole takes a couple deep breaths and crosses to the front door. She's not sure what to do, so she goes out onto the porch and notices the little scorch mark left from where the rubber doormat had melted a little last night. She makes a mental note to try to scrub that off on her next day off. 

Waverly pulls up behind the deputy's truck, parks and gets out, a warm, genuine smile on her face. Nicole is watching her with rapt attention as she approaches the porch, eyeing the brunette up and down. She meets Nicole's gaze as she's coming up the porch steps. The simple green sweater and blue zip up denim jacket bring out the shine in Waverly's eyes. Nicole tentatively offers Waverly her hand to help her up the steps and Waverly blushes and takes it. Nicole says excitedly, "Welcome. Come on in."

 

Waverly thanks her and passes her on the way into the house, not letting go of Nicole's hand until she's crosses the threshold. Nicole can't deny herself a brief glance down at the high waisted skinny jeans hugging and cupping the brunette's legs and butt.  Nicole clears her throat and says, "Can I take your coat?" Waverly smiles at the redhead and slips her arms out of the jacket into Nicole's hands. When she turns to hang the coat by the door she continues, "Want some coffee? I just made a fresh pot of the good stuff," turning back to watch Waverly take in the details of her living room.

 

"Sure." Waverly replies, crossing into the middle of the room.

 

Nicole moves into the kitchen, leaving Waverly alone. After a few minutes, she comes back into the living room with a tea tray laden with two coffee cups, a sugar bowl, a cream carafe and two spoons. She finds Waverly looking through her dad's old records. Waverly sits the floor with the records strewn out a little bit around her. Mimir is perched on the back of the couch, watching Waverly intently. 

 

Sort of crawling away, Waverly squeaks, "Sorry. I wasn't trying to ransack your record collection. I was... I was trying to pick one to listen to, but they're all so good. Classics every one of them." 

 

"Yeah, I... sort of inherited those from my dad," Nicole says coolly, trying to keep her tone casual. Really, she loves the way Waverly just makes herself at home in her house. She sets the tea tray of the coffee table and crosses towards the pile of records, "Here, let's play this one. It's one of my favorites," picking up an original Janis Joplin LP from 1972. Nicole busies herself with the record and the record player and continues, "Help yourself to the coffee. It's the good stuff my sister, Hayley, ships to me from Austin. She buys fresh beans and roasts them herself. She owns a little artisanal coffee shop in downtown Austin. She always tries to send me some of her best buys."

 

Waverly moves to the couch and finally notices Mimir. She approaches cautiously and takes a seat, taking one of the coffee cups and fixing it up how she likes it, light cream, and heavy sugar. It isn’t until after she has her coffee situated that she turns back to Mimir and offers her hand so the cat can sniff her. Apparently not terribly offended by Waverly’s scent, the tabby hops down onto the center of the couch and rubs herself along the brunette’s leg before hoping down off the couch and slinking into the kitchen. 

 

Nicole noticing her cat’s exit, she says, “Oh that’s Mimir. She can be pretty standoffish, don’t take it personally. She’s not really into people unless they have something she wants, but she really doesn't like men,” turning towards Waverly as she speaks laying eyes on the brunette just as she takes the first sip of her coffee. The smile on Waverly's face is like pure heaven. Nicole can't stop the joy creeping up on to her face, as she takes the other mug for herself. After placing a small scoop of sugar into the coffee, Nicole leans back into the couch and settles her eyes on Waverly again. "Any good?" Nicole asks even though she already so knows the answer.

 

"Oh yeah." Waverly replies, wrapping both hands around the mug and takes another sip. “Mimir, huh? Like the Norse god... Yggdrasil’s spring Mimir?”

 

“Yeah, I’m kind of a Norse mythology nerd. My mom’s side of the family is from the Baltic States. I'm the first the Blom clan to be born in North America. I guess that’s where I get my height from. My father's side is English, his parents came to the states in the 20's after my grandfather got out of the Navy, after World War One ended. Knowledge about our history and heritage is big in my family. I guess it is yours too thought, right? I mean, being an Earp, I bet you know all about heritage…” Her words kind of fall off at the end, seeing Waverly’s expression, and she knows that she had just opened a huge can of worms, but couldn’t take the words back, now.

 

Waverly blinks a few times, warring with herself about what to say. On the one hand she feels she could trust Nicole, but was she ready to lay it all out there? After a long quiet moment, she decides to give the honest answer, well almost honest, “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Daddy was always drilling the Earp… history into Wynonna and… Willa. It wasn’t until after… that I got into the Earp heritage thing. I guess it was something I needed growing up with Gus and Curtis, separated from what little immediate family I had left when they took Wynonna away... But I can honestly say that I know more about Wyatt Earp and his legacy than anyone else on Earth. I’ve even been thinking about writing a book about it.”

 

Nicole watches carefully as Waverly’s emotions spread the gambit between utter pain and devastation to blinding hope and faith. She almost starts pressing for some answers about why some people called the homestead the “murder house" and all the history that went with that story, but she thinks better of it when she sees the heavy glistening in the brunette’s eyes. Waverly would tell her in her own time, figuring there’s no reason to apply pressure, only to have Waverly push back. She knows that some of Waverly’s hope comes from Wynonna’s return to Purgatory after years of estrangement. She wonders if she’ll ever get to be a part of Waverly’s hope for the future, too. Shaking away the doubt, she says, “You should let me know if you do start a book because my other sister, Liz, works for a publisher in New York City. They specialize in non-fiction.”

 

"Will do.” The brunette declares, and after a beat she continues, “So not to change the subject but I’m dying to know... What happened last night?"

 

Nicole sighs heavily and dives into her tale of last night, telling the brunette everything. About finding Champ sneaking up behind her, the things he said, and did. Waverly visibly flinches when she hears Nicole say the word "dyke." Nicole hesitates to tell the brunette about the things Champ had probably done on her porch. She isn't sure that the two incidents are related, but decides to let Waverly make up her own mind about it. It only takes Nicole about a half hour to get through it all and the whole time Waverly remains silent.

 

"Fernandez left this morning about six. I tried to get some sleep, but didn't get much actual rest. I'm pretty exhausted by it all." Nicole concludes, trying to read the expression on Waverly's face.

 

After a couple of quiet moments, the expression on Waverly's face distorts a little and she all but growls, "Next time I see him... he'll be lucky if his hand is the only thing that's broken."

 

Nicole is surprised by the outburst. She smirks a little, reaches over and places her hand on Waverly's knee and says, "Waverly it’s ok. I'm not hurt. To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised I haven't experienced more of that type of behavior since I moved here. I've kinda developed a thick skin about it."

"That doesn't make it right, Nicole. I hope they throw the book at him. Actually, I wanna throw a few at him, too. I've got a bunch of really heavy ones," Waverly grumbles.

 

Nicole laughs and it's so disarming Waverly can't help but laugh too, imaging herself hurling one of her heavy, leather bound books at Champ's face.

Glad that the tension has broken a little, Nicole starts to take another sip of her coffee, but realizes her mug is empty. She stands, scooping up the tea tray and takes Waverly's hand with her other hand, as she makes her way to the kitchen. Nicole sets the tray down on the counter. She quickly refills her cup and turns her head to find the little brunette staring at her butt. "You want some?" Nicole says, a devilish smile on her face and wiggling the pot at Waverly. 

"Uh... Oh... Yeah... sure I'll have another cup," Waverly stammers, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater, offering her mug to Nicole.

 

"Here. Let me take that. Your hands appear to be shaking. I wouldn't wanna spill any on you," Nicole says, reaching out and taking the mug in her hand, tipping the carafe with her other hand.

 

Waverly didn't even realize her hands were shaking until Nicole mentioned it. When Nicole's hand brushes against hers, Waverly feels like the contact makes her hand go to sleep, tingly pins and needles traveling half way up her arm before the contact is broken. The brunette draws her hands up tight to her chest in attempt to steady the quivering nerves. 

 

"You sure you want more coffee? You seem a little jumpy," Nicole asks.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I guess... I... I'm still a little shaken by what Champ did. I mean, I've seen him angry before, but I never really considered him to be capable of violence. I guess I was wrong," Waverly responds, steadying her hands around the now mostly full mug of coffee. Tasting it without thinking, Waverly is surprised that Nicole had already put the appropriate amount of cream and sugar in for her. Smiling, Waverly makes her best attempt to change the subject, "So... I've been here over an hour and you haven't offered me the grand tour. I'm kinda disappointed."

 

Nicole flashes her perfect dimpled smile and takes Waverly's hand again saying, "Oh I'm sorry. I'm a terrible hostess. Well, this is the kitchen. Small, I know but I don't really cook anyway, so it's no big deal. You've seen the living room so the only places left down here that you haven't seen are the laundry room and the garage," and with that Nicole leads them through the archway into the laundry room. "Not much to see here really but it's on the way to the garage so... Yeah." She turns down the hallway to the garage and stops at the door. "Now, don't judge me for the state of my garage. I've got quite a few projects going right now," and she opens the door and flips the light switch up.

 

The long fluorescent tubes flicker on and reveals the garage. It is organized, but in an organized chaos sort of way, with tools and parts and stuff spread out over the workbenches that line the walls. One side of the garage floor is vacant with the other side cluttered with two big tarps, covering two bulky masses. There is stuff hanging from the walls and the ceiling and even on the back of the garage door. Realizing it too much to take in in a glance, Waverly steps into the garage and starts at one wall and walks around the exterior of the room. One work bench is covered with greasy machine parts and tools and what looks like it might be a snow blower or maybe a push-style lawnmower, she can't really tell in its deconstructed state. The next bench is obviously a woodworking bench, with saws and other tools as well as left over bits of wood and some sawdust spread out on it. The last workbench is kind of a catch all, with all sorts of stuff clustered together in different piles. Waverly directs her attention towards the tarps. Noticing the brunette's curiosity, Nicole crosses to the first tarp and pulls it back, revealing a weathered but well maintained Yamaha ATV. Waverly can't help herself as she climbs onto it and settles into the seat. Waverly says, "Is this what we'll be riding on Monday?" Nicole smirks and nods. She then gestures toward the other tarp. Waverly turns as Nicole pulls back the second tarp and Waverly sighs, "Of course, you're into motorcycles."

 

"What do you mean... of course I'm into motorcycles?" Nicole states, a little disappointed that Waverly isn't impressed by her custom motorcycle. She had put a lot of work into her and really wants Waverly to like her.

"Just makes sense. Seems like everyone in my life loves them. I pretty much grew up riding along with Curtis. He loved his hog. He left it to Wynonna though when he... passed." Waverly replies, her laugh at the word 'hog' turning bittersweet.

 

"Well... I wouldn't call this beauty a hog. She's more like a cat. Speed is really what's important to me when it's comes to motorcycles. This custom engine I made purrs at 70 miles an hour," Nicole explains, smiling a little half smile watching Waverly slid off the quad and walk over to the bike in order to appreciate it more.

 

Waverly leans in close to the bike and is amazed at the amount of detail work, not just the cosmetic stuff, but the way the engine pieces seem to flow together. The bike almost looks more like a piece of art than a powerful machine. She says, "This is really impressive, Nicole. It’s like... a piece of art."

 

Nicole blushes at little and responds, "Thanks. I pretty much built the whole thing from scratch. Not all here of course, I've been working on her for three, maybe four years now. I think I finally got her just how I like her.

Waverly giggles, "Her, huh? What's her name?"

 

Nicole's face is now matching her hair, as all the blood in her body rushes to her face, "I named her Trjegul (tree-gool) after one the cats that pulls the goddess Freyja's chariot in Norse mythology." 

 

Waverly surprises her, letting out a little laugh, "I don't know, you sure she's not a Bygul (bee-gool) instead?"

 

Nicole is dumbstruck by the comment, realizing Waverly had been downplaying her Norse mythology knowledge earlier. It takes the redhead a moment to recover. She watches as Waverly circles the bike, "Mind if I sit on her? I've never sat on a motorcycle by myself before. Wynonna won't let me anywhere near hers... well the Harley she inherited from Curtis anyway... Which is dumb ‘cause I've ridden that thing hundreds of times," Waverly manages to get out, keeping her eyes low wishing she could have just kept her mouth shut.

 

"Yeah, of course you can sit on her." Nicole laughs, as she reaches her hand across the bike toward Waverly to help her steady herself as she swung her leg over the seat.

 

"Wow," the brunette exclaims, "I can't believe it. My legs don't even come close to touching the ground."

 

"Well... I did build her for me... so..." Nicole says indicating her long legs.

Waverly looks instinctively, but closes her eyes and turns her head up toward the ceiling in a feeble attempt to not just stare down at the redhead legs, and Nicole notices the deep calming breath Waverly takes in. 

"Waverly, is something wrong?" Nicole asks.

 

Waverly opens her eyes and blurts out, "Is that a kayak?"


	6. Chapter 6

Moving back into the kitchen, Nicole remembers she was about to call out for dinner when Waverly texted earlier. "Hey, are you hungry?" Nicole asks over her shoulder, catching the brunette appraising her legs and butt again.

 

This time Waverly doesn't look away, not nervous and shy like before, she breathes, "Yes."

 

Nicole sighs, and for a moment time stops. The look in Waverly's eyes is hungry for sure, but not for food. The redhead tenses when she feels hands on her waist, resting there for a second before traveling down over her hips, brushing lightly against her jeans before traveling back up again. When those hands reach her waist again, the redhead spins into them, wrapping herself in Waverly's arms. Nicole reaches out and brushes a stray tuft of hair from Waverly's face, tipping her face up in the process. Nicole looks down into her eyes and she rests her hand on the brunette's shoulder, noticing how her touch elicits a shudder from Waverly. She moves her other hand up to match, and when it lands, Waverly's arms jerk and pull the redhead in closer. Nicole moves her hands up the sides of her slender neck and cups the petite woman's jaw. Waverly senses it, now or never, and pushes up on the balls of her feet, driving her lips to meet Nicole's. Nicole keeps her hands cupped under the brunette's jaw and pulls up slightly, trying to indicate she wanted nothing more than their kiss... _It’s... perfect_... Their bodies just fit into each other, pressed flush against each other, like their whole bodies are kissing in that kiss. It’s a tender thing though, and just as quickly as it started it stops.

 

"That should have been our first kiss," Nicole whispers against Waverly's lips, opening her eyes, hoping to see Waverly's, but her's are still closed. 

 

"Mmhmm," Waverly sighs, as the redhead slides her hands back down to her shoulders again to wraps her arms around them. Waverly nuzzles her face into Nicole's collarbone, breathing in her scent, like fresh baked cupcakes, warm sweet vanilla. The word is out of her mouth before her brain even realizes it. "Cupcakes."

 

Nicole pull back and brushes her hand along the brunette's face, turning it up to her, again. "Are you saying you want cupcakes for dinner? Or for dessert?" she winks at Waverly and flashes her dimples.

 

Waverly's cheeks turn pink and she is flustered, stammering "Uh... No... I mean I like cupcakes... You sm... Uh... You sure I said cupcakes?"

 

Nicole shifts herself in their embrace and is now holding Waverly a little apart from her, giving her some room to breathe. "Hmm, maybe I misheard you," she says with a smirk, "Anyways, you wanna stay for dinner? You pick, I'll order?"

 

"I'd love some pizza and beer, but don't make fun of me because I like mine with bacon and pineapple," Waverly admits.

 

"Bacon sounds good to me, but maybe I'll get peppers on my half. And it just so happens that I have a full growler of the good beer from Shorty's," Nicole says and quickly kisses Waverly before moving away to grab the pizza place menu. 

 

Waverly keeps herself busy while Nicole is on the phone. She opens the cabinet next to the fridge for some glasses. She picked that cabinet because that's where she would have put glasses if it was her kitchen. Delighted she finds a neat row of short and tall glasses. She reaches in and pulls out two pint sized ones. Next she opens the fridge and notices a surprising lack of actual food, lots of condiments, and leftover containers, not all of them restaurant to-go style, so that's something. She grabs the jug of beer and sets herself to pouring the two glasses. As she is replacing the growler, Nicole steps back into the kitchen, declaring "Pizza will be here in about 30 minutes. Wanna see the rest of the house?" thumbing her hand toward the stairs.

 

Waverly grabs the drinks and joins Nicole in the archway, "I'd love to," offering the redhead her beer. Nicole takes it and turns back to stairs. They climb the stairs in silence and for a moment Nicole's heartbeat flutters at the idea of showing Waverly her bedroom... _It's just a tour, why should I be so nervous_... 

 

At the top, she slyly looks back at Waverly finding the brunette's mouth slightly open, that hungry look in her eyes again. Nicole hesitates in the hallway, taking a deep breath, and then turns to look at the beautiful brunette. She is blushing and Nicole isn't sure why. Deciding to ignore it, Nicole gestures towards her bedroom. Waverly takes the gesture as her invitation and step through the open door. The bedroom is simple. The matching furniture is obviously old, yet functional. The bed is made neatly and is the central thing in the room, with a nightstand on either side. The bed side lamp on the side nearest the door is on. Continuing into the room, Waverly notices that there's not as much in the way of personal details in this room, as she had seen in the others. No pictures or paintings on the wall, no knick-knacks. She crosses to the connected bathroom and leans in, "Nice big bathroom. I love the claw foot tub."

 

"Yeah, real funny," Nicole says closing in behind Waverly, laughing, "Definitely the smallest room in the house, but it’s ok. I make it work, except that my knees hit the wall every time I sit on the toilet." 

Waverly turns to the redhead and inhales sharply, not realizing how close she had gotten. Her hand brushes across Nicole's arm as she turns and the contact is electric. Nicole starts to take a step forward, but stops, wanting to just pounce on the little brunette, but also not wanting to rush her. Nicole knows that this, Waverly being attracted to her, is a wholly new feeling and she doesn't want to pressure her into anything. As bad as she wants Waverly, she had told herself on many occasions that she would take what she could get from the young Earp and nothing more and she was going to stick to that mantra.

 

Reaching for Waverly's hand, Nicole says, "Come on. There's one more room to see. It’s my favorite." 

 

She escorts the brunette back out into the hall and down to her studio. She pushes the door open and displays the room, Wheel of Fortune style, complete with lofty hand gestures.

 

"What is all of this? I mean... the instruments I get, what's all this other stuff?" Waverly stammers, a little hesitant to enter a room full of electronics with her half full beer, knowing she'll get tangled up in a cord or something and probably end up spilling all over something expensive.

 

Nicole takes the last sip out of her beer, steps into the room, and replies, "Well, those are amps, one for my guitars and one for the synthesizer," pointing at two black felt covered boxes, with nobs and dials on the front and then the instruments. "The electric drum kit is a necessary evil, I guess. It doesn't sound as good as the real thing but I just don't have the space for a full set here."

 

Waverly teeters in the doorway, before remembering her beer and decides to just lean on the doorframe. She tries to make it look natural, but by the knowing look on Nicole's face she knows she failed. She tries to sound casual, saying, "So I've heard... Wynonna's a drummer and she told me once that electric kits just can't compare to the real thing."

 

Nicole nods and raising an eyebrow, she says, "She any good? I'm always looking for someone new to collaborate with."

 

"Oh... I don't know. I mean, I'm probably not the best judge on that one... I don't really know that much about it and it's been a long time since I've seen her play, too. She wasn't... wasn't really around for a while there and then when she did come back, she was pretty distant. We're six years apart, so I guess rebellious bad-ass 18 year old Wynonna didn't really want much to do with nerdy 12 year old me... I did see her play with her old band a couples times at Shorty's though... Best I can say, I guess, is that she manages to break a lot of sticks..." The brunette smiles shyly, and sort of nervously changes the subject pointing at the big brass looking instrument in its stand next to the drums, "You play the saxophone, too?"

Nicole smiles at the brunette, but it's a sort of sad smile. She wants so badly to ask all the questions swimming in her head. The questions about her past and the 'murder house' and why Wynonna hadn't been 'around for a while?' She feels like she needs to get to know Waverly, the real one, not the meek, polite mouse that everyone in town knew, Waverly's Waverly.  She considers just blurting out her questions and seeing how it lands, but her logic and common sense win out, telling her not to push... _You're making progress... Just play along_... She turns her attention to the saxophone and crosses the room to pick it up. Holding it in her hands, she says, "Yeah, the tenor sax is my newest addition. I haven't really gotten the hang of playing it yet though. I had no idea it would be so hard to teach myself to play it... Anyway, I've... uh... got some extra mics, some guitar effect pedals, and bunch other random sound equipment in those milk crates in the corner." She gestures with a nod to something that Waverly can't see because the door is in the way. "And that is my homemade recording studio." 

 

The brunette, looks down into her beer, chugs the last three or four sips before finally stepping into the room. Nicole turns to her after replacing the sax in its stand and notices her chugging and smirks at her. 

 

"I'm klutzy sometimes, wouldn't wanna make a mess and some of this stuff looks expensive," Waverly explains bashfully, as she brought her eyes to the recording equipment. There's a nice Mac desktop computer in the center of the desk, surrounded by speakers and cables and headphones and some stuff Waverly had never seen before. The desk isn't necessarily cluttered with it all, just more organized than the organized chaos she had seen in the garage. 

 

Waverly is so taken in by all the new things to look at she doesn't realize Nicole settles onto the short couch along the back wall of the room, watching her with a somber look on her face. She turns to her guitar and picks it up. 

 

After a few moments of allowing herself to be distracted by all the new shiny things, Waverly's concentration is broken by the sound of a guitar being strummed. She can't stop herself from turning toward the sound. She catches Nicole's eyes for a second before Nicole looks down at her hand on the neck of the guitar and starts to pick and strum at the strings with her other hand. Settling into the song, Nicole closes her eyes and starts to sing.

 

Waverly has never heard the song before, so it takes her a second to catch up when Nicole starts singing, immediately touched by the lyrics. 

 

 

_ Waiting wanting _

_ To see you in my eyes _

_ Finding feelings _

_ That I thought were buried inside. _

_ Because I never thought that  _

_ I could ever love like this _

_ But you have _

_ Proven me wrong. _

 

_ You the stranger who took a chance _

_ Held me at a distance so I could see myself. _

_ So thank you for everything you gave without knowing _

_ And thank you for letting me fall in love _

_ Without withholding _

_ Without withholding _

 

_ So let me in now _

_ I am ready to move _

_ And here comes fear and resistance from you _

_ And for once I am willing and now what I’ve got to wait _

_ These lessons are everywhere in my life _

_ You know I never waited for anyone and I was always right _

_ But ya, now I give up I surrender _

_ I would wait for you...forever _

 

_ You the stranger who took a chance _

_ Held me at a distance so I could see myself _

_ So thank you for everything you gave without knowing _

_ And thank you for letting me fall in love with you _

_ Without withholding _

_ Without withholding _

 

_ So come on and test me _

_ Go on and try it _

_ Because I know that I fit perfectly inside you _

_ And to deny this love would be to deny your heart _

_ And you're going be the one who breaks it _

_ Baby if you choose to walk _

 

_ Yeah, you the stranger who took a chance _

_ Held me at a distance so I could see myself _

_ So thank you for everything you gave without knowing _

_ And thank you for letting me fall in love... _

 

_ Yeah, you the stranger who took a chance _

_ Held me at a distance so I could see myself _

_ So thank you for everything you gave without knowing _

_ And thank you for letting me fall in love _

_ Without withholding _

_Without withholding_.

 

 

 

Nicole opens her eyes when the song is finished, looking up at Waverly who is frozen, wide eyed, mouth slightly open again. Nicole isn't sure what's going on in the brunette's head, but doesn't want to break the tenuous silence between them.

 

Finally, Waverly inhales deeply and twitches a little, regaining her control over her muscles. She realizes she's been staring at the redhead again, thinking to herself, 'How long has she been finished playing? Shit...' Shaking herself again, she meets Nicole's gaze and says, "That was beautiful. I've never heard that song before... who's it by?"

 

Nicole breaks their eye contact, abruptly looking down at her fingers sliding up and down the strings making them zing a little, "Uh... me," she whispers.

 

Of course, when the doorbell sounds, they both jump and Waverly is really glad she finished her beer now as her glass tips all the way forward when she jerks and a single drop rolls out.

 

Thankful for the interruption, Nicole stands and quickly passes Waverly with a small, "Excuse me?" and exits the room. Waverly hears her flutter down the stairs and slowly starts to follow.

 

Pizza paid for and laid out on the coffee table, they sit on the couch in a sort of uncomfortable silence, each waiting for the other to say or do something. Nicole breaks the ice, saying, "Want another beer?"

 

Waverly looks down at her empty glass, realizing she was still clutching it for dear life. "Uh... sure, but I can get it." She reaches over and grabs Nicole's empty glass and heads into the kitchen. She stops in front of the fridge and instead of opening it she leans her head against the door. Taking in a deep breath she allows her mind to wander for a moment, 'When did she write that? Did she write it for me?...'

 

"You ok in there?" Nicole calls out from the other room.

 

Shaking her head, hoping to thrash those thoughts out of her head, she replies, "Yeah, there's just so much in your fridge it’s hard to find the booze."

 

"Hey. I already told you I don't cook, so why would I have any ingredients?" Nicole chuckles, smiling at the thought that maybe some of the tension between them had broken, at least for now.

 

Waverly comes back into the living room, full glasses in hand. She sets one down in front of the redhead and crosses back to her seat on the couch.

 

They eat in companionable silence, both realizing they were hungrier than they had thought. Waverly leans back on the couch, pushing herself away from the pizza after three large slices. Nicole looks at her with a quizzical look in her eyes, wondering where the little Earp put all that pizza she had just inhaled. Curious about the bacon and pineapple combination and seeing Waverly is probably done, she ventures "You gonna eat that slice?" The brunette shakes her head and Nicole scoops up the last piece of Waverly's half of the pizza. 

 

Two bites in, Nicole says, "Waves, I don't know how you eat this. The combination of sweet and salty and savory just doesn't work here." Disconcerted, Nicole can't believe she said it. Her little nickname, the nickname she had only ever heard Wynonna and Gus use, the nickname she'd only ever said aloud when she was alone... _in her bedroom_... The intimacy of it makes her blush and look away.

 

Waverly catches the nickname and smiles. She loves the sound of it coming from Nicole's mouth and can't help herself, deciding to press the redhead, "Waves, huh? That's a little familiar, don't you think?"

 

"Well... I... Uh..." Nicole stutters, unable to even think about being able to complete a sentence. She shrugs and raises her hands defensively, instinctively scooting away from the brunette.

 

Unable to let the usually confident redhead squirm too long, Waverly reaches across the growing distance and takes Nicole's hand in hers, "Well... maybe not familiar enough though," and she pulls Nicole's hand down and rests it on her thigh, keeping her hand over the redhead's, stroking soft circles with her thumb over her fingers.

 

Nicole is flabbergasted, speechless... _Is Waverly teasing me or is she serious?... What should I do?... Why am I always questioning myself around her?..._  

 

Waverly can see the sudden distress in Nicole's tensing muscles, as her brain is turning over her words. "Hey, my turn to ask. What's going on in your head?" Waverly says, thinking back to the other night in Nicole's cruiser.

 

Nicole is quiet for a moment and says, "I just... I mean I can't... I... ugh!" letting the last sound come out kind of like a mix of a grunt and groan.

 

Waverly threads her finger in between Nicole's and says, "Just breathe. This isn't life or death here. Just take a deep breath and talk to me."

 

Nicole does as instructed, closing her eyes she takes in three deep breaths, trying to settle her mind and her nerves. 

 

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I never get like this. You know? I'm always the smooth talker, always confident and charismatic, but being around you seems to short circuit me sometimes. I've got all these thoughts running around in my head and I feel like I've got no way to express them." Nicole sighs, unable to continue.

 

"Seems to me you were expressing yourself pretty well earlier... Did you write that song for me?" Waverly says, bluntly, a little shocked by her own question.

 

"Yes, yes I did," Nicole whispers into her beer glass before taking a big gulp of the amber liquid.

 

"And it’s beautiful. I've never heard anything so... I don't know... full. Full of life and emotion, like a modern Shakespearean sonnet. I love... it," Waverly says, cheeks turning pink from heat under her skin... _Looks like I'm not the only one having trouble processing..._

 

Nicole's heart skips a beat in that little pause while Waverly is speaking and she looks up at the brunette, meeting her eyes. Getting lost in her eyes, gray with little slivers of green today, she instinctively squeezes Waverly's hand three times, like her family had always done when they were silently saying how much they loved her. 

 

Waverly doesn't get the significance and thinks it means that Nicole was ready to terminate the contact. Pulling away, she says, "Hey, it's getting late. I should probably head home. I'm sure Wynonna is worried about me by now," and she stands up, stretching her arms over head and stifling a yawn. 

 

Nicole follows her to her feet, suddenly concerned... _Why is she leaving? Make her stay!_... about this turn of events. True, she didn't want Waverly to leave, but having her so close so fast was making her question everything, things she knew about herself and her past and her future. Resigning herself to trying to continue this later, Nicole says, "Ok. I guess you're right. Here, let me walk you out," reaching for Waverly's hand again.

 

The brunette takes her hand with a soft smile on her face and allows Nicole to lead her to the door. Nicole holds out Waverly's jacket and the brunette slips her arms inside. Waverly sighs as Nicole takes the lead and they cross the porch and yard to the Jeep. It isn't until they arrive at the car that Nicole turns to the brunette, a sad smile on her lips, "Well... I guess this is goodnight. Thanks for..."

 

Nicole's next words are swallowed by Waverly's mouth, in a strikingly passionate kiss. Hands and arms and bodies tangling together, but like before, it is over before it really has a chance to get much momentum, with Waverly being the one to pull back this time.

 

"Goodnight, Officer Haught. Thank you for a wonderful evening. I'll see you on Monday, ok? Bright and early?" Waverly says, now climbing up into her Jeep.

 

"I can't wait. Goodnight, Waverly Earp," Nicole replies. She stands there, dumbstruck, watching as the brunette pulls away... _I can't believe I let her leave_...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Nicole has written for Waverly in this chapter is "The Stranger" by Melissa Ferrick.


	7. Chapter 7

Friday passes without much of anything interesting happening. Nicole hits the gym hard, working her legs, glutes and abs until she's sure she's going to be sore tomorrow. She drives home on auto pilot to shower and get ready for her overnight shift. She eats the couple of leftover slices of pizza from the night before for dinner and heads off towards the station.

 

Friday night, at work, Nicole delivers her official statement about the damages to her house to Sheriff Nedley directly. He asks her all the standard questions and then asks her more of the same questions for a separate report about the assault in the parking lot. She tells him everything, including Champ's more derogatory words. She isn't sure she's ready for Nedley to know that part about her, but there's really no hiding it now. She is sure though that Waverly is not ready to be outed, in so many words, so she downplays Waverly's presence in her cruiser saying she had offered the youngest Earp a simple ride home. He seems sympathetic, telling Nicole, "This kinda stuff is not gonna be tolerated 'round here as long as I'm Sheriff. Don't worry, I'll do my best make sure Champ gets what he deserves over this one too," gesturing towards the vandalism report.

 

Nicole, feeling relieved by Nedley's support, thanks him and excuses herself so she can get back to work. The rest of her shift is to be taken up by pouring over a pile of reports on her desk near the back of the station. Nedley set her on the task of going through all the missing person’s reports from the county office and the surrounding counties, in an effort to identify a body they had discovered Wednesday morning. Others had gone through the files and reports already, but after two days of searching they still didn't know who Jane Doe 4-27 actually was and Nedley was starting to get desperate for some answers. 

Some of the reports have pictures and some don't, so Nicole decides to first separate them as such, one's with photos in one pile, without photos on the other. She then meticulously goes through the photos. Not having much luck, she starts in on the files without photos. 

After about two hours of reading description after description, Nicole's focus is wavering and she finds herself daydreaming about the off-roading trip with Waverly. Wondering whether to pack a picnic lunch or not, her snaps back to the present when she feels like she is being watched. Looking around, there's no one in her immediate vicinity. She shrugs and decides that she's just imaging things and gets up to get some more coffee. A few minutes later, she returns to the desk and notices a file hanging out of the pile halfway... _Arbour, Joyce_... Nicole pulls it from the pile and sits to pour over the file, quickly matching the description to their Jane Doe. Thinking she could probably find a photo of this woman on the internet, she fires up the computer.

She sips her coffee, anxiously awaiting the old government-issue computer to boot up. Once it’s ready, she opens the internet browser and starts her search. After maybe ten minutes, she finds a social media site that has been set up for the missing Joyce Arbour and comparing the autopsy photo to the profile picture, Nicole is sure she has successfully identified Jane Doe and sends the profile picture, over the office intranet, to be printed on the color printer by Nedley's office. A cold shiver crawls up her spine and her eyes dart around the room, feeling like someone is breathing on her neck... _And not in a sexy way_... 

Shrugging off that creepy feeling again, Nicole pushes herself up and marches toward Nedley's office to collect the photo, taking the rest of Jane Doe 4-27's file with her, hoping that the boss is still there.

Unfortunately, Nedley had gone home a while ago, so Nicole decides to leave the file on his desk for him to look over the next day. She scoops up a blue post-it note and scribbles, _Possible Identity - Victim #3_ on it before slapping it on the outside of the file. She feels satisfied with herself, knowing that having this woman's identity will probably bring them closer to figuring out who had killed her. Joyce Arbour is the third victim in as many weeks. No one had said it yet but everyone at the station was thinking the same thing. Purgatory has a serial killer in town and of course, as an officer of the law, Nicole feels a driving need to stop this monster before he kills anyone else.

Moving back through the office, her thoughts drift back to Waverly. She can't help herself but to imagine what it would be like to hold her now, for just a few moments of comfort to drive away the sight of all those missing faces staring back at her. Nicole feels her eyes start to glisten and begins to blink rapidly to fight back the tears she knows want to come out.

Glancing up at the clock, something clicks inside her and she heads directly back to her desk to grab her jacket and Stetson. If she hurries, she can make it right at closing time.

Now out on the street, Nicole is hustling along the side walk toward Shorty's. After maybe a minute of power walking she catches sight of the saloon, just as the neon open sign shudders and darkens. The redhead picks up the pace and places her hand on the door handle just as the dead bolt slides home. 

Unsure now, Nicole starts to raise her hand to knock on the door but hesitates, her mind racing around, her need for just a moment with Waverly and her fear of that need warring inside her head. She hasn't depended on anyone in a long time and is afraid of doing so now. Her life has been filled with loss and pain, both physical and emotional, and she isn't sure she can bring herself to open herself up to the possibility of those feelings again... _Where's that cool confidence now, huh?_... 

She knocks.

A minute passes and Nicole wonders if she's too late, maybe Waverly is already on her way out the back. She rushes away from the door and down the sidewalk to the little alley between Shorty's and the post office. Racing down the narrow passage, she breaks out from between the buildings into the parking lot behind Shorty's. Looking around wildly, she spots Waverly's Jeep in the corner of the lot, exhaust rolling out of the tail pipe. 

Slowing her pace she uses her long legs to stride across the parking lot, covering the distance quickly without further raising her heart rate. Breathing deep, she approaches the Jeep's driver's side door, circling out a bit, so maybe Waverly will see her before she gets too close and startles the brunette. Nicole holds her breath when she catches sight of the little Earp. Waverly is concentrating deeply on her phone in her hands. A step later, Nicole's phone vibrates in her pocket. She smiles wide and stops about five feet from the car and leans forward making a big sweep of her arm to tip her Stetson to Waverly, hoping the movement will draw her attention away from her phone. 

Waverly turns and locks eyes with the redhead, a look of excitement and wonder stretches across her face, pushing herself closer to the window. She instinctively places her free hand onto the window of the Jeep. Her hand slides down and slowly makes its way to the lock and then the handle, opening the car door. She slips down out of the Jeep and plants her feet, all the while holding Nicole's gaze. 

 

The moment stretches on for a long time, Nicole taking in the sight of the beautiful woman sliding out of the driver's seat without breaking their eye contact. The high waisted jeans and crop top Shorty's shirt Waverly is wearing are mostly covered up by a knee length brown leather coat and Nicole can't stop herself from wondering how Waverly can so easily exemplify the perfect combination of cute as a button and sexy as hell. Once Waverly's feet touch the ground, Nicole gets control over her faculties again and closes the distance between them in two quick strides before slipping her hands between the coat and her bare waist, wrapping her arms around the brunette and pulling her up into her chest. Waverly buries her head in the redhead's shoulder, hands moving up over Nicole's shoulders and around the back of Nicole's neck, snuggling herself flush up against her body.

When Waverly's hot breath falls across her neck and chest, Nicole pulls her in tighter, lifting the smaller woman slightly off the ground. Waverly squeaks, and Nicole can't help it but to laugh. She had no idea Waverly could make such cute little sounds... _I wonder what other kinds of sounds you could make her make_... 

The intensity of the moment is broken by Nicole's laugh and she sets the smaller woman back on the ground, pulling back slightly hoping Waverly will look up at her. The brunette complies and they stand there holding each other, staring into each other's eyes for a long moment before Nicole speaks, "Hey. Thanks I needed that. I needed something to make me feel... grounded," floundering a little at the end of her statement, not sure "grounded" is what she meant, but she figures it would suffice.

Waverly blinks a couple times before she responds, "I know what you mean. I've had a long day too..." Her voice trails off, not sure she's ready to share everything that had happened that day, hell that whole week, from her trip to the blacksmith's forge to her burgeoning feelings for the officer to her run in with Champ's friends in the saloon earlier. She decides that she would pick the least complicated of the three and continues, "I had a run in with couple of Champ's friends tonight. They came in, all like 'Poor Champ, getting his ass handed to him by some chick,' and I just couldn't stop myself. I all but shouted at them that you weren't just 'some chick' and that you were defending yourself and that you had every right to... and I... I kinda threw them out of the bar... Well, I made Gus kick them out... They were drunk when they got here anyway, so... She agreed they didn't need anymore... And she just... just got a hold their shirt collars and... I..."

Nicole watches the stuttering brunette as she chatters and feels herself swelling with delicately conflicting emotions, pride and fear. Pride for how Waverly had stood up for her and in turn herself, but also fear of the unknown consequences of her outburst at the two drunk townies, knowing that guys like that were more than willing to hold a grudge about even the slightest of insults... _I mean look at what had happened with Champ_... Unable to get a handle on the fear she leans in and cuts off Waverly's next sentence with a crushing kiss, using her lips to convey how proud she is of the little brunette. 

She reluctantly pulls herself away from those perfect lips and sighs, frowning a little, saying, "Waves... You shouldn't have... You put yourself in danger by laying into them like that. What if they come back for more? I wouldn't want you to get harassed... or... or worse because me."

Waverly lays her head back on Nicole's shoulder, letting out a nervous chuckle and mutters, "Trust me... they're the least of my worries."

Nicole looks down at her, confused, and waits to see if the brunette is going to elaborate. After a moment or two of silence, she dips her head down and kisses the top of the brunette's head, as a gesture of reassurance. She breathes in what she hopes will be a steadying breath only to have it make her heart race at the divine smell of Waverly's hair. Sighing heavily, suppressing a shudder, Nicole kisses her head again, squeezing the brunette tighter to her chest again.

Waverly can hear the change is the officer's heart rate and asks, "What's going on up there? Your heart is pounding."

Nicole feels a little embarrassed, but decides she should be honest with the younger woman, wanting to have as few secrets as possible with her, "Your- your hair smells... incredible," she explains into her hair, with a light shrug.

Waverly giggles and wiggles her face up against the redhead's neck, brushing her now cold nose across the soft skin before placing a soft kiss over where her nose had just drawn goosebumps across the redhead's neck. Slowly kissing her way up to the redhead's ear, standing on her tip toes she whispers, "Thank you."

Nicole's face flashes with a desire at the hushed breaths in her ear. Without really thinking about it, Nicole takes advantage of the little Earp's position on her tip toes, hands and arms secured around her shoulders, really already pulling herself up, and she slides her hands down to where the brunette's legs meet her ass and pulls up, lifting the shorter woman off the ground. Waverly squeaks again, but instinctively moves her legs around the officer and locks her ankles together behind her strong back while she tightens her grip around the back of Nicole's neck.

With hands under Waverly's thighs, helping her maintain her position, Nicole walks forward a couple steps to Waverly's Jeep and with a little huff of breath lifts Waverly into the driver's seat. 

 

Waverly's mouth is left hanging open at the display of strength, as Nicole extracts herself from her arms and legs and, feigning a shrug, says, "You seemed cold. Just thought I'd help you get somewhere warm." With a wink, she slips a quick kiss across the brunette's still stunned cheek and pushes at her legs that are still hanging out the door into the car. 

Waverly seems to come to, and starts to protest saying, "Oh, you were doing a fine job keeping me warm all on your own... well... you know... before putting me in the car," a shy, almost seductive smile on her face. 

"Oh yeah?" Nicole asks, tracing her hand up Waverly's thigh, watching the younger woman's eyes grow wide, "Well... you'll have to make do with your Jeep's heater for now 'cause I gotta get back to work at some point. I just... I don't know... I just really needed to see you."

"I'm so glad. I really needed to see you too." Waverly replies, placing her hand over the redhead's, and thinking back to when Nicole had squeezed her hand the night before, she gives her hand three light squeezes. She turns her head back to face Nicole's and her skin flushes when she looks into that wide dimpled grin that forms on the redhead's lips. "Well... Goodnight, Officer Haught. I'll see you soon, ok?" Waverly finishes, holding her breath, waiting for Nicole's reply.

"Yeah... Actually do you wanna go out for an early dinner with me tomorrow? I have to be at work eight, but we could hit the diner or something beforehand." Nicole says, hope in her voice.

 

"Oh... uh... well I kinda have plans tomorrow, but what about Sunday?" Waverly stammers, knowing she has Steph's engagement party at the homestead, which she had thought about inviting Nicole to, but she wasn't sure they were there yet. To be honest, she doesn't know where they were at all.

"Ok, that works," Nicole says sort of sadly, before regaining her confidence and resumes, "Diner ok with you? Or you wanna go somewhere else?"

"Well... I imagine the diner will be closed for a while, what with the Tate's being... in... uh... gone... Mama Olive and Hetty... Well, they just kinda disappeared right? I wonder if the diner will even re-open at all, actually..." Her voice trailing off, losing herself in the events surrounding the Tate's "disappearance," which, of course, she knows everything about, because Wynonna had told her. She also knows she can't expand further on it with Nicole because, like most things in her life these days, it's "classified" and Waverly does not want to see what would happen with her tenuous position with Black Badge if she spilled the beans to Nicole. 

"Oh... right... I keep forgetting you grew up here, of course you know Hetty. She was in your grade in high school right?" Nicole asks nonchalantly, not really trying to pump the young Earp for information, but she suspects that Waverly knows more than she was saying about the Tate's situation.

"Not exactly. She was three years ahead of me in school. She was... uh...  Wynonna's friend, sort of, at one point... But that didn't really end well and when Wynonna left... Hetty and I became friends, I guess. She was always nice enough to me. We had a couple of mutual friends... well, we had Champ in common at least. I caught them sneaking around in his truck once. I was never really mad at her about it, but I guess I probably should have been... It was probably just payback for Wynonna's follies with Hetty's boyfriend back in the day..." Waverly trailed off again, shuddering at the memory of catching Champ with the revenant; it wasn't the first or last time she caught Champ running around with someone behind her back. "I really don't know why I stayed with him as long as I did," Waverly murmurs, mostly to herself, but Nicole hears her.

"Sometimes, comfortable is enough, sometimes it's not." Nicole states, with half smile and a one shouldered shrug. She slips her hand out and traces her finger across the brunette's cheek to push a loose tuft of hair back behind her ear. 

Waverly takes the opportunity to nuzzle her face into Nicole's palm, closing her eyes and sighing softly at the connection. 

Rubbing her thumb against the brunette's cheek, she smiles but whines as she says, "I'm sorry Waves, but I really have to get back to the station. I didn't even tell anyone where I was going. I'll text you tomorrow and we can figure out dinner on Sunday, ok?"

Waverly's heart drops at Nicole's whining, but she understands, "Yeah, ok... I'll talk to you tomorrow," and she leans down for a goodnight kiss. It’s meant to be a sweet peck, but it deepens as neither woman is wanting to be the one to pull away first. 

Eventually, Nicole's duty oriented mind breaks through and she pulls away, gasping for air. Breathily, she utters, "I can't wait," and a bow of her head and the tip of her Stetson, she adds, "Goodnight, Miss Earp."  

Waverly smiles at the swooping feeling in her stomach when the redhead touches the brim of her Stetson... _God she is so freakin hot in that uniform_... Collecting herself, she puts her hands on the wheel, finally realizing the Jeep had been running through their whole conversation, she smiles guiltily. She had always tried to be so earth friendly, but something about the redhead distracted her to a fault sometimes.

Watching Waverly settle in, Nicole closes the Jeep door softly and takes a step back intent to watch the brunette leave. After a moment or two, she sees some small realization flash across Waverly's face and the brunette turns her focus to driving and soon Waverly is a set of tail lights in the distance.

Nicole makes her way back to the station, and realizing no one noticed she was missing for almost 45 minutes, she slumps into her desk, staring over all the files on her desk. With the probable identity of Jane Doe 4-27 laying on Nedley's desk, she re-sorts the all the county files by case number and packs them back into their numerically designated boxes and stacks the four full boxes neatly beside her desk. 

Without much else to do, Nicole sits down at her desk and focuses on the computer. She begins compiling information on Joyce Arbour. She knows that it will be wasted effort if Nedley doesn't agree with her identification of the body, but if he does she'll have a hell of a leg up on the investigation.


	8. Chapter 8

The sun comes up around six-thirty in the morning and the natural light coming through the windows is a welcome sight. Repeatedly during the last few hours, Nicole had had a creepy feeling or saw movement out of the corner of her eye, but each time she chalked it up to how quiet it was in the station. The phone didn't ring, even a single time, after Nicole returned from her little rendezvous with Waverly behind Shorty's. Usually the quiet didn't bother her, but tonight it had been almost eerie.

 

Standing up for the first time in about two hours, Nicole stretches and groans against her achy muscles and tense back. She scoops up her coffee mug and rounds the corner heading for the break room when she almost bumps into Dolls. She stops just short of him and says, "Oh! Sorry, Marshall. I should have been paying better attention. I guess I let the caffeine run a little low tonight," shaking her empty coffee cup, "I was just about to make a fresh pot if you want a cup." 

"Sounds good." Dolls says and he gestures for her to step around him.

Nicole nods and begins moving down the hall again, only to become nervous when the Marshall turns and follows her. They reach the break room and Nicole busies herself with making the coffee as Dolls settles into a chair at the one table in the room. He waits until she is finished before asking, "I meant what I said about our sparring match the other day. It definitely was educational and I was thinking maybe you could help me out with something?"

Nicole turns to him, a fair amount of shock on her face, "First, you tell me you ran a background check on me because you didn't know whether I could be trusted or not and now you ask me for my help? Is this some kind of trick?"

"No... definitely not, but I do find myself in need of a sparring partner, for myself, as well as someone to help me with some training for Wynonna, and thought you might be up to the task." Dolls states, frankly.

"Oh... uh... Sure. I'm in. Wednesdays at the gym sound good? Or you got somewhere else in mind?" Nicole is a bit dumbfounded by his request, but recovers when she thinks about the opportunities it would present her to find out more about the BBD and Wynonna, and by default Waverly.

"I am hoping we can do the training sessions here. Wynonna can be... standoffish about people seeing her getting beaten up in public, but you and I could do Wednesdays at the gym if that works." Dolls answers.

"That should work just fine." Nicole says, turning back to the coffee pot to fill her cup, she smiles as she continues, "I guess I better hit the gym extra hard from now on. I bet Wynonna could give me a run for my money. She looks like she's fast." 

"Yes, but untrained. She flies off the handle easily and that's when she loses and we can't have that. You and I both know what life can be like, half way across the world and in our own backyards. Wynonna has traveled, yes, but instead of battle she mostly just saw the bottom of a bottle. She needs the experience of training with more than just me, because out there... she won't be fighting me, at least not always fighting me," Dolls says with a chuckle.

Nicole is confused by the sudden outpouring from the usually stoic Deputy Marshall and she doesn't miss his 'half way across the world' comment. She decides not to press her luck and without saying anything she pulls Doll's X mug out of the dish drainer next to the sink. She fills his mug and crosses to hand it to him. "Well you just let me know when you wanna start doing training sessions with Wynonna and I'll be there. We could probably even talk Nedley into letting me do them even if I'm on shift. Professional development and inter-agency collaboration and all... And when I say we... I really mean you," Nicole says, with a low chuckle of her own.

"Sounds good," Dolls responds with a smirk, and he gets up from the table, grabbing his coffee mug, he tips it towards Nicole saying, "Thanks for the coffee." 

As he exits, Nicole is left wondering what Dolls military background was. Running her mind over the different branches; Army, seems too arrogant for the Army infantry, and definitely not the Air Force. She can't imagine his hulking shoulders going easily through hatch coamings on a naval vessel, which leaves The Marines... _Of course, he's a marine_...

On her way back to her desk, the redhead passes by the front desk and there's a man leaning against the counter. Nicole takes a moment to observe him. He's wearing a dark grey button down shirt with name badge above the left breast pocket, 'Cal' it reads.  The jacket he's wearing is covering the right breast pocket of his shirt obscuring where Nicole assumes the company logo would be. His pants are simple black, worn Dickies. He looks like maybe he's a mechanic or a landscaper. Nicole briefly wonders who's supposed to be manning the front desk this morning. She pushes that thought aside and says a polite "Good Morning," to the man. He turns and Nicole realizes he's holding a woman's purse. "Can I help you?" she continues, gesturing towards the bag.

"Oh. Yeah... I found this laying in the middle of the road on my way in to work this morning. Nobody was around, so I thought it best if I just bring it in. Wouldn't want somebody's personal information falling into the wrong hands these days," the man states, offering the bag to the officer.

The officer gladly takes the bag from him. "Of course, Mister..." Nicole leads, fishing for the man's name.

"Hardy, Calvin Hardy... but most people just call me Cal," the man says offering his hand to Nicole.

The redhead feels so overwhelmed. She can't believe that this man is probably Champ's dad. He seems strong, but gentle in a kindhearted sort of way. It takes her a moment to compose her shock, before accepting his hand, giving it a firm shake. She takes a deep breath before saying, "Well... Thank you for bringing this in. Don't worry, we'll see about getting it back to its rightful owner." She hopes he'll leave it at that, but he breaks his eye contact with her to check out her name badge and as he reads her last name his face turns up in what looks to Nicole like a sneer.

"Oh. Officer Haught... right. You're the one who sent my boy the hospital the other night." He pauses and Nicole isn't sure what is coming next, but her body tenses. She is sure that he notices her stiffening though and he hurriedly continues, "Well... I can't say that he didn't probably deserve it. He told me all about you all's little run in... including the more... uh... nasty things he said. I didn't raise him like that let me tell you... I'm surprised all you broke was his hand." Cal says, sympathetically, softening his voice to not much more than a whisper as he continues, "Ever since his mother left he's been different, you know..."

The officer is completely taken aback. She just stares at him for a moment, trying to process this new information. She recovers a bit and says, "Cal, I don't know what to say. I... I can say that Champ did say some hurtful things and tried to do more, but he was pretty drunk. I've really been trying to just let it go... Water under the bridge and all." Nicole knows this is a lie, but she really doesn't want to be having this conversation right now.

Sensing the officer's discomfort, Cal says "Yeah well... Maybe this little stunt will be his last for a while. Anyway... I've taken up enough of your time. Thanks for seeing to that bag for me. Never felt right to me going through a woman's purse." He laughs a nervous sort of laugh before quickly waving and turning towards the front door.

Nicole chuckles and murmurs a little under her breath, "Yeah... you can say that again."

Cal turns back and gives her a questioning look. The redhead just smiles her big dimpled smile and waves, "Thanks again," lifting up the bag as an indication of what she meant.

After watching him leave, Nicole wanders back to her desk, sort of lost in her thoughts. Reaching her desk, she immediately dons a pair of latex gloves and begins to turn out the purse. Inside, there's all the sorts of things you'd expect there to be; a wallet, some tissues, a small makeup bag, amongst other things. The wallet is what the officer focuses on, pulling out the ID from inside and inspecting it. Bethany Palamino, a 24 year old brunette... _Can't be a coincidence_... Nicole decides to begin inspecting and cataloging all the items in the purse as if they were evidence of a crime. She can't shake the feeling in her gut that Bethany Palamino may very well be victim number four of Purgatory's newest predator, but, of course, without a body there is no crime and Nicole knows this. She just wants to be sure if a body is discovered that she did everything she could to preserve the evidence.

Before she knows it, Nedley is standing in front of her desk with Jane Doe 4-27's file and Joyce Arbour's picture in his hands. Gruffly, he says, "What'cha got here, Haught?" gesturing towards the purse and its contents spread out all over her desk in different sized evidence bags.

"Oh Sir... Cal Hardy brought in this purse about an hour ago. He said he found it laying in the middle of the road and because there was obviously no owner around he brought it here. I uh... took the liberty of going through the purse and I found it belongs to a 'Bethany Palamino," Nicole says as she hands the ID in its bag to Nedley.

"I see what you're thinking... 24, brunette, suspicious circs... I'll have Fernandez try to track her down when he gets in at eight... Maybe she'll turn up fine, grateful we found her purse." Nedley eyes the redhead and notices the doubt clear on her face. "Did Cal say exactly when and where he found it?" Nedley asks, rubbing his free hand over his brushy moustache.

"No, Sir. And I really didn't think to ask. He said he found it this morning, but I didn’t get a specific time. I didn't really expect this would turn out to be a big thing. I just figured some woman lost her purse..." Nicole lets her voice trail off when she realizes she's about to start rambling.

"Don't worry about it, Nicole. I can just call Cal later on if the location and timing turns out to be important. By the way, good job with this," shaking the file in his hand at her slightly. "Is this all we have on Joyce Arbour though?" Nedley asks, plainly. He definitely notices the slight blush on the officer's face at his compliment, but tries not to let the young officer know it.

Nicole smiles and pushes herself out from her desk and leads the Sheriff to an empty desk and lays out some of the details she had discovered about who Joyce Arbour was; her age, address, work information, contact information for her relatives, and the appropriate requisition forms for her financial and phone records already filled out. 

Nedley seems genuinely impressed saying, "Excellent work, Nicole. This will all be very helpful as the investigation continues. You're off at eight right?" He glances at his watch before looking back at the redhead and continuing, "Why don't you go ahead and get out of here... I think seven-thirty is close enough for today."

Nicole answers, tentatively at first, "Ok... Thanks Sheriff, but I..." She pauses before half blurting out, "I... I really wanna be a part of nailing the bastard that did this to these women though." 

Nedley is a little taken aback by Nicole's aggressive enthusiasm, but appreciates her sentiment, knowing that it can't be easy for her to see women so close to her age being murdered and left like trash out in the elements. "I'm sure you do, but git on outta here for today and you can pick up where we leave off when you get back tonight," he utters with some finality and gathers up the notes and papers from the desk into the file in his hand and nods to Nicole as she gathers the purse and its contents into an storage box and moves the box to sit on the floor beside Fernandez's desk.

 

~~~

Arriving home about 30 minutes later, she slumps into her house. All the events of the evening had replayed in her head on the way home and she is suddenly exhausted. She gathers her wits for a moment before walking through the house, properly stowing her gun and jacket and such in the back hall. She refills the cat food and water bowls and scoops the litter box on her way back to the kitchen. She makes herself a glass of water and carries it with her to the bedroom, not having the energy to down the whole glass in the kitchen like she usually does. She stumbles through the rest of her bedtime routine in a haze and finally falls into bed with a huff. She has just enough energy to set her alarm on her phone when she realizes she never checked that text she got earlier. When the name pops up on the lock screen and Nicole breathes in sharply. She scrambles as she unlocks her phone. The brunette's text pops up.

Waves- I miss you...   2:02 am

 

Nicole's heart begins to pound in her chest and she lays a hand over it, feeling it beat wildly in her chest. She doesn't know how, but she forgot she had changed Waverly's name in her phone. She smiles thinking, now that they were more familiar, a more familiar name in her phone seems more than appropriate. She sighs as the combination of the name change and the message and it burns its way through the redhead's chest. All the emotions swirling around in her head tell her one thing, she is falling and falling hard. Only this time, she's sure she doesn't want to reach out and catch herself... _Up or down... Down... She chose down!_...

~~~

She wakes confused. She doesn't remember being in her uniform when she went to bed. She blinks blearily, looking around into the dark of the room. She's laying on the couch in BBD office at the Sheriff's station. 'How did I get here?' She thinks, rubbing her hands over her face. She stands up and looks back at the couch and is totally shocked to find Wynonna lying where she had just been. She stumbles away, gaping at the older Earp, thinking, 'Oh god please don't tell me I slept with Waverly's sister.' 

She turns abruptly as the doorknob of the office's main door jiggles, but the door is locked. She can hear someone on the other side curse. She watches as a person sized shadow steps in front of the door and bends down to the knob. Some more jiggling and some scraping and she knows that whoever that is, they're not going to let a locked door stop them from getting in here. Glancing back at Wynonna, she feels the sudden urge to hide, her fight or flight instinct triggered by her utter confusion of the situation. She scrambles as she rushes into Dolls private section of the office and huddles for cover against his desk, just as the office door pushes open slowly. She reaches her hand down to her hip where her gun and duty belt should be and feels a sudden nakedness realizing they're not there. Resolutely, she keeps her head halfway out from the side of the desk in an attempt to glean any information she can about the intruder. 

She watches for a moment as a shadowed man pads his way into the room quietly and moves toward the back of the office, approaching Wynonna. The redhead can't make out his face, so she leans out further trying to get a better look. She can feel herself tensing, ready to jump out to defend the older Earp if the need arises. She watches as he leans down over the still sleeping form and smells her hair, brushing her cheek with his hand. Nicole hears him whisper against her hair, "You'll be just right." 

 

The redhead is almost out from behind the desk now trying to keep her eyes on the man. The wind outside rattles against the window behind her and draws his attention away from the Earp and right to her. She blinks for a moment as she tries to take in his face but she just can't see it. He dashes into the office and as he falls on her, trying to subdue her, she wakes again.

Sweating, tangled in the blankets, Nicole fights for air. She gulps it in, heaving and ragged, head spinning. She goes over what she had seen in what she can only assume was a dream... _Yeah... dream_... Nicole attempts to calm down as she extracts herself from the bed. She grabs her empty water glass from the nightstand and walks into the bathroom and fills it from the sink. She downs the glass in four big gulps as her body begins to shake. 'It was just a dream' she thinks as she settles her shaking body back in the bed. She checks the time; nine-fifteen in the morning. She must have been tired to fall into REM sleep that quickly, she thinks as she takes a few deep breathes. She wraps herself back up in the blanket and lays her head down. Slightly disgusted by the sweat wet pillow, she leans up again and flips the pillow over before easing back down again. Her last thought before sleep takes her again is, 'God I really hope that was a dream. I'm not sure I could handle it being anything more than that...'


	9. Chapter 9

Nicole wakes up an hour before her alarm goes off. She sort of remembers waking in the night and her weird dream, but the details seem so hazy. She remembers only a couple of clear thoughts from the whole thing; one from the dream, 'Oh god please don't tell me I slept with Waverly's sister,' and then one from after, 'God I really hope that was a dream. I'm not sure I could handle it being anything more than that...' The absurd thing about it all is she feels like she actually, really rested, for the first time in a long time. She brushes off her thoughts about the dream and after. She decides to make the most of the extra hour she now has and gets up to suit up for the gym. 

Once there, Nicole focuses her work out on stamina and speed training, getting in several miles on the treadmill and hitting the speed and heavy bags until her arms feel like jelly. She tries not to think of having to keep up with Dolls, much less Wynonna on the sparring mat. Dolls would be a challenge every round but he's predictable and calculating and she could use that against him. Wynonna is a whole other story. The Earp's passion and ferocity would mean she would be the complete opposite of Dolls, sort of wild and undisciplined. Nicole knows she will have to prepare, physically and mentally, for sparring sessions with Wynonna, re-teaching herself how to not just think, but react outside the box. 

Her excess energy for the day spent, Nicole heads home, picking up take-out on the way. She settles on the couch with her Chinese food and rather than digging in she finds herself sort of lonely. She knew when she asked Waverly to have an early dinner with her last night that the brunette would decline. Waverly was throwing that party tonight and would be no doubt attempting to make the homestead, well, homey for most of the afternoon and early evening. 

It hurt a little that Waverly hadn't just told her about the party when she had the chance, instead of vaguely saying she had "plans." Nicole didn't really expect an invite to Steph's engagement party. Nicole didn't even know the girl, so why would she want to go to the party... _I can think of at least one reason_... 

Nicole is broken from her musings as Mimir enters the room and trots over to her, rubbing herself back and forth over her shins and ankles. "Yes, I will feed you... But can I feed myself first?" Nicole asks the tabby, not really expecting a response. Mimir realizing that she would have to wait for dinner, flicks her tail harshly at the redhead before cantering off into the kitchen to wait.

Returning her attention to her food, she eats steadily but quickly. She finishes, stowing the leftovers in the fridge and fills Mimer's food bowl before rushing off to the shower. The hot water does wonders for her slightly achy joints and muscles. Maybe she had over done it at the gym today. 'Well, maybe the last couple of days, really,' Nicole thinks. Knowing that there is nothing she could do about it now, she does her best to relax for a few minutes before getting cleaned up for work. 

Eventually, she is dressed in her uniform pants and a blue tank top. She stands in her kitchen with her head leaned into the mudroom, watching Mimir pull a piece or two of food out of the bowl with her paw and them eat those off the floor. Nicole says, "Why do I even put it in the bowl? I should just put it in the floor from now on," turning back into the kitchen to pour herself some coffee that had just finished brewing.

Coffee ready to go, she retrieves her duty belt and her service weapon. She reminds herself to clean it soon or whenever she gets the opportunity really. She slides on her boots, tying them with efficiency. She grabs her jacket and check the pockets for her gloves, because it is supposed to get cold overnight. 

She arrives at work with only a few minutes to spare and rushes inside to get her things settled in her desk before her shift starts. She finds Joyce Arbour's file on her desk along with the two other victim's files and note saying, "Look these over. See if you find any connections between them. -Nedley."

Smiling at her inclusion into the investigation, just like Nedley had promised, she tears into the files, comparing all their details, from financials to phone records and everything in between. Nothing jumps out at her as suspicious. They all lived in different parts of the county; had jobs that wouldn't lead them to interact with each other professionally; had no common numbers in their phone records, so they didn't have the same friends or family. It seems they have nothing in common except their pictures. All three were white female brunettes in their 20's. 

Rubbing at the tension that is building up in her shoulder, Nicole is a little shocked by a knock on the door of her shared office. She looks up just as Wynonna says, "Saturday night? I'm the town pariah with ten years of bad deeds and social suicides to make up for... What's your excuse?" pointing a finger at Nicole.

Nicole eyes the bottle of whiskey in Wynonna's hand and folds her arms, leaning onto her desk. She smiles and replies frankly, "Nedley."

Wynonna opens the bottle of whiskey she's holding as she says, "Say no more, bosses are the worst," she pauses, taking a deep breath before adding, softer than before,  "Also, I'm scared mine be dead."

The redhead turns to look at her, obvious confusion on her face. She takes a brief glance down to appreciate Wynonna's signature style; dark pink flowing top, black skinny jeans with holes in the knees and over the calf black boots. Her gaze fixes on the bottle in the Earp's hand again and Wynonna stammers a little and says, "OH. Kidding," before taking a big swing from the bottle.

Nicole shifts back in her chair unconvinced, "Are you sure you're ok?"

Wynonna rocks back and forth on her feet, "Mm-hm," giving Nicole a half-hearted thumbs up. She clears her throat, uncomfortably.

Trying to relieve some pressure off the Earp in front of her, Nicole looks down at her desk and says, "Well at least I'm not the only one who wasn't invited to the party... Makes me feel better."

Wynonna furrows her brow and walks into the office, setting her bottle down on the filing cabinet next to the redhead's desk with a thump and asks, "What party?"

"Oh... I heard Waverly was throwing a party tonight," Nicole says, adding tentatively a moment later, "Out at the murder house..."  Wynonna looks sad for a moment, then presses herself closer to the redhead as she starts raising her fist, anger taking over her features.  Nicole immediately pushes herself away from the desk, raising her hands in front of her, palms out, "Hey, hey. Sorry... Their words, not mine."

Wynonna grimaces and takes a step back, grabbing up her bottle again and Nicole watches as the Earp turns up the bottle, taking a couple big swallows before tipping the bottle back down.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Nicole requests.

Wynonna hesitates and sighs, "Yeah. I guess."

Nicole points at the whiskey bottle and then at herself. Wynonna smirks and hands her the bottle. Nicole takes a swig from it before handing it back across her desk. "Uh... you might not wanna tell me, but I'd rather hear it from you or your sister. Only seems fair to get the gossip straight from the source... Why do the townies call your homestead that?" 

Wynonna takes another quick swig, and barks out, "I shot and killed my father there."

"What?" Nicole asks, sort of rhetorically. She did hear the older Earp, she just wasn't sure she could wrap her head around what she had just said.

"Yeah. I was 12. A bunch of rev... Uh... really vile fucks attacked the house. They grabbed our older sister, Willa, through a broken window. When daddy tried to go out and fight them off... He got overwhelmed and I watched as they started to drag him off too. I just bent down and picked up his gun," Wynonna explains, patting Peacemaker before continuing, "I don't even know what I was thinking. I'd never shot a gun before, I just had to do something... to... to save them if I could. I raised the gun and just fired and... hit my dad right in the center of the back..."

"Oh god Wynonna... I had no idea. I'm very sorry. I- I shouldn't have brought it up," Nicole says, looking down not sure what else to say.

"It’s ok, Nicole," Wynonna says, offering the redhead the bottle again. As she takes it, the Earp put one hand on Peacemaker and the other on her hip, adding resolutely, "It was a long time ago. I mean, I'm still coming to terms with some stuff about it, but I've finally accepted the responsibility for it now." 

Nicole nods, swallowing her mouth full of whiskey. She looks at the bottle and realizes she's already tipsy and slides out of her chair and sits behind her desk on the floor. She pats the floor beside her offering for Wynonna to join her. The older Earp does and take the bottle back from the redhead, draining another big gulp from it before speaking. "I know I had it pretty rough over the whole situation, but Waverly took it really hard. Mom left a couple years before that and then in one night she lost both her sisters and our dad. I mean... she didn't really lose me... but I got sent away for a while after that. When I finally did come back at 18, I didn't know Waverly anymore and I thought I didn't want to... She had gotten to continue on with her childhood... well sort of anyway. She had Gus and Curtis and Shorty at least. And I was, I don't know... I was bitter, I guess... I ran from my problems, from this shitty little town... from Waves..." Wynonna voice trails off.

"Hey. It's ok. Like you said.... It was a long time ago... We can't always make up for our mistakes, but we can always keep trying," Nicole says, as she reaches her hand out and places it on Wynonna's wrist and gives it a little squeeze.

"Yeah I guess you're right," Wynonna half whispers into the mouth of the whiskey bottle. She turns it up and drinks deep before passing the bottle back to the redhead. 

Nicole takes a small sip, suddenly not wanting Wynonna to be alone, but also not wanting to get any more drunk than she already is, while still on the clock. She contemplates for a moment and decides to change the subject. She asks, "Did you really not know Waverly was throwing a party tonight?"

"No... I had no idea." Wynonna replies, looking down at her feet. "We could go crash it, if you want! I'm sure Waverly would just love that!" A quiet moment later she adds, "But you know exactly who she invited too... Chrissy Nedley."

Nicole pauses for a moment, suddenly stricken over how to play this. She didn't want to lie to Wynonna outright about how she had found out about the party that not even the older Earp knew about. At the same time, she also didn't want to have to explain why Chrissy had told her about the party. It would lead back to where things were going with Waverly and as much as she wanted to just lay her cards out in front of Wynonna so to speak, it wasn't her story to tell. She decides to try to sound innocent, and exclaims, "What, Sheriff's daughter?"

"Mm-hmm! And Stephanie Jones." Wynonna says, disgust obvious on her face. She shudders a little as she continues, animatedly, "You know, one time, Stephanie told me that I should think about getting a butt lift."

Shocked, Nicole calls out, "What? Your ass is like... It's top shelf, man. Top Shelf."

With a smirk, Wynonna replies, "Thanks," pausing before adding, "Have I pulled Waves too close?"

Looking out into the office, not at anything in particular, Nicole says, "You know, I think that Waverly has spent her whole life tailoring who she is to the people she's with." She smiles for a moment thinking back to the night before, to the look on the brunette's face when she first looked up from her phone and caught Nicole's gaze. She continues, "She's only now just starting to figure out what she really wants."

Wynonna balks and says, "Dude, you're like a walking bumper sticker." Running her eyes over the redhead until she fixates on the handgun at Nicole's hip, she appends loudly, "Who's armed! Waverly should be hanging out with you!"

Nicole replies, softly, "I agree."

Wynonna looks about for a moment and gets distracted by a 8 1/2 x 11 photo splayed out on the floor in front of her. She mumbles, "Who's this? Who's this lady?" as she leans out over her legs, drunkenly trying to grab the photo. She half falls forward and Nicole grabs her by the back of her belt, helping the older Earp right herself again.

Nicole hesitates for a moment, before remembering Nedley's instructions on talking to Black Badge members about their cases. "Might as well share anything they wanna know. Wouldn't want Dolls to threaten us with obstruction, or worse..." Nedley had said.

"That's victim number three," Nicole states, calmly.

"Same guy killed three women?" Wynonna asks, staring into the face in the photo.

"Yeah, but killing them was just the start," Nicole says, reaching up to the desk to grab the file the photo had fallen out of. Nicole takes a deep breath as she flips through the folder, finally saying, "Joyce Arbour. She's 22. We found her Wednesday morning, and the cause of death appears to be multiple lacerations, but of course, the autopsy report is practically illegible..." Nicole's voice trailing off as she takes in the ever changing expression on Wynonna's face, from shock, to fear and then to spiteful anger.   

"Dolls picked a great time to go AWOL," Wynonna growls. She's looking down at one of the crime scene photos of the body and is shaken when a drop of blood lands on it. She turns face to Nicole, adding tentatively, "I... Uh... I need to see the body."

"Wynonna... You... You ok?" Nicole asks, pointing her index finger out at the older Earp's bleeding nose. 

"Oh, yeah... Uh, this happens sometimes." Wynonna panicking, attempts to lie, before standing up and hustling out to the office door with her hand dabbing at the blood.

Nicole sees how thrown Wynonna seems, but believes that the older Earp can handle herself while she cleans up the mess they've made. She quickly stashes the mostly empty whiskey bottle in her desk drawer. She stands and pulls the file back together leaving the now bloody photo on top. Laying it out on her desk, the redhead thinks better of just letting it dry and decides to just get rid of that copy of the photo and print a new one. She instructs the computer to print and sets off down the hall toward the women's restroom, hoping to find Wynonna again.

The redhead spots Wynonna's boots in the only occupied stall and leans against the wall. She can hear the Earp's accelerated breathing, and can see her shadow dancing across the floor, back and forth. 'Wow, she really is freaking out' Nicole thinks to herself. She can tell the early stages of a panic attack when she seems them. She softly says, "You doing alright?"

"Oh yeah. Just peachy," Wynonna replies, huskily, while unlatching the stall door and pushing it open with one hand, toilet paper held to her nose with the other. She stumbles slightly as she approaches the mirror, eyes locked on her reflection. Her breathing becomes even more ragged when she spots a drop of blood on her shirt that she hadn't manage to catch with her hand. She touches it with her free hand and chokes on her breath.

"Here," Nicole says, moving quickly toward her with her hand out stretched, sliding her hand in behind of Wynonna's neck. She jumps a little at the contact and turns toward Nicole, confused. Nicole persists, saying "Just relax... Lean your head back on my hand. It should help stop the blood from running out." 

Nicole's hand feels warm, but not sweaty, on the back of Wynonna's neck and head. Wynonna's labored open mouthed breathing is the only thing breaking the silence. Nicole can sense Wynonna's dismay and reaches down and picks up Wynonna's free hand with her own and places the Earp's hand on her shoulder, hoping that she would be able to feel it as Nicole begins to regulate her own breathing, slowing it and focusing on her heart rate to count out each breath. 

The Earp seems to relax for a moment before some thought races through her mind and she sputters, sobs and chokes again. Nicole moves her hand back up and places it half on Wynonna's neck, half on her collarbone. She takes in a deep breath and pushes it out slowly, pushing slightly against the Earp's skin with her hand.

The added contact sends a shiver through Wynonna but she doesn't recoil. Instead, she softens against the redhead's hands and breathes in a little more solidly with each breath. After a few minutes, the Earp finally relaxes enough to where her pulse is normal and Nicole removes her hand from Wynonna's neck.

Wynonna opens her eyes and tilts her head toward the redhead. She sees the concern in the redhead's eyes. She withdraws herself, taking a step back, pulling herself out of Nicole's personal space. "Uh... Thanks, dude. I thought I was having a heart attack there for a minute," she says, disconcertingly, looking down briefly before remembering her bloody nose and tilting her head back again.

"Not really a heart attack exactly. I believe you were about to have a panic attack, or started to have one. I've had a few myself, so I know the warning signs," Nicole says, plainly, almost clinically.

Wynonna simply nods and shrugs. 

They stand there silently for a few moments before Nicole mutters, "So... uh... You still need to see the body?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Uh... Yeah, if it's not too much trouble. I noticed something in that photo that I feel like I kinda need to see in person." Wynonna replies, taking the tissue away from her nose. Thankfully, the bleeding is stopping.

"No problem, Wynonna. The body's in the morgue in the basement. Let me grab the file and the new copy of that photo from the printer and I'll meet you by the back stairs, Ok?" Nicole asks, gesturing with her shoulder towards the door.

"Yeah. Sounds good. I could use another minute anyway. Whiskey is just shooting through me right now." Wynonna states, before stepping back into the stall.

Nicole takes her leave and heads off to the printer, collecting the photo and gaining a strange look from the officer manning the front desk for the night. She tips her head in his direction and hustles back to her office to grab the file. As she steps into the room, she feels suddenly awkward, a little like she's forgotten to do something. She looks around the office for anything out of place and notices nothing, so she quickly turns out of the room for the stairs that lead to the basement.

Wynonna is waiting for her when she rounds the corner. The Earp exclaims, pointing a finger accusingly at the redhead, "Hey... Where's my whiskey?"  

"Oh... It's back in my office. I put it in my desk before I left the room, hoping to... I don't know... minimize my drinking on the clock. Not sure all our co-workers would be as cool about it as you," Nicole replies, with a hearty chuckle and a wink.

"Well, I'm gonna run get it if you don't mind. I may need it to face the morgue," the Earp says, already moving past Nicole toward the bottle.

Nicole stands quietly, gripping the file folder lightly. She lets her eyes wander and when they fall on the door to the BBD, she's overcome as a memory from her dream the night before slides its way through her mind. She remembers standing up from the couch and looking back and seeing Wynonna sleeping where she had just been. 'Oh god please don't tell me I slept with Waverly's sister,' passes through her mind again, but this time she's remembering it and has a chance to think about how the couch had felt. It had felt so real, but she hadn't felt a body pushed up against her back before she got up. She hadn't had to unwrapped arms and legs from around around someone else before she got up, because let's face it that's how you wake up when you've fallen sleep on a couch with someone else. She had been exactly where Wynonna was, like she had been one with Wynonna, instead of next to or on top of her.  

A strange chill runs up her spine, as she hears a voice say, "You'll be just right."

Her focus becomes razor sharp as she snaps out of her trance like state, lost briefly in the memories of her dream. She looks sharply left and right, and realizing she's still alone in the hallway she sighs and looks down. The file folder must have slipped out of her hands, because there were now papers and pictures all over the floor. She bends down to begin putting them back in order when Wynonna comes around the corner, whiskey bottle in hand.

"You didn't tell me you locked the desk drawer, so I had to pick it." Wynonna proclaims with a dry smirk, the air of pride in her voice.

Nicole shrugs as she finishes re-ordering the file. Once she stands to face Wynonna, she retorts, "Is that what took you so long?" Laughing hard at Wynonna's fallen expression, she adds, "I knew it was locked, dude. I thought you would appreciate the challenge." 

"Yeah well... My hair is down today, so didn't really have a bobby pin... So... I just busted open the skinny top drawer with my knife, so I could get to your paper clips. You'll probably wanna replace that at some point." Wynonna says, sort of sourly, with a little shrug of her own.

Mortified, Nicole replies, "Tell me you didn't... I'll have to pay for that, Wynonna."

It's Wynonna's turn to laugh now, and laugh she does. Eventually catching her breath she exclaims, "Relax, dude! Those desks aren't exactly Fort Knox. I just turned the lock with my pocket knife. No biggie, no damage, I promise. I was just messing with you."

"Ugh... Of course." Nicole grunts, motioning toward the stairs, "You ready?"

"Lead the way." Wynonna says, taking up her position behind Nicole.

They begin to descend the stairs in silence before the Earp sighs heavily and says, "So what was that back in the bathroom? Seemed kinda intimate don't you think?"

"Oh... Yeah that's a thing I learned in therapy... When I got back from Afghanistan..." Nicole's voice trails off and she stops in the hallway in front of the morgue door. Lost in thought for a moment, she looks up at Wynonna and seeing the sincere concern in the Earp's eyes, she continues, "I had some problems dealing with... with everything... My life, what it had been and what it was and what it could be if I could make it... I had panic attacks, lashed out at family and friends, suffered with the outright fear and paranoia; the depression, PTSD, the works... Took me over a year to get my shit together." The redhead smiles softly and looks away from the older Earp's gaze, shrugging "Like I said earlier, I've had my fair share of attacks. I know how it feels... Helpless, hopeless... Like the whole world is closing in on you... Can't breathe, can't see... The 'laying on hands' technique was really the only thing that worked for me. I really took a big risk trying that with you without knowing you very well. I guess I got lucky you didn't see me as a threat. I almost killed my therapist the first time he tried that with me..."

"Yeah I don't know what it is about you Haught, but I don't think I could ever see you as a threat. Those big puppy dog eyes..." Wynonna says with a smirk and a wink.

"Oh you just wait Wynonna. The Marshall asked me if I would join in on ya'll's hand to hand training sessions from now on. So... I feel like you may have to get over my baby browns," the redhead says, almost flirtatiously, batting her eyelids at the older Earp, thinking 'God, I hope she doesn't actually think I'm flirting with her...'

"Wait... Dolls did what? Those training sessions were supposed to be... uh... private... I'm gonna kill him," Wynonna whines.

"Hey, don't blame Dolls. When I had him tap out at the gym the other day, he must have been impressed, but he only asked me this morning. He just said you needed a variety of sparring partners to widen your experience. He insisted we would do the training sessions here at the station to keep them fairly private. I don't think he meant anything by it..." Nicole pauses, realizing she was rambling and focuses herself back to the point, "I think he mostly just wants you to be better prepared to protect yourself, and I'm glad to help with that... If that's ok with you that is?"

Wynonna smiles, and nods slowly, "Yeah, that'd be nice, I guess. Thanks, dude." She bumps past Nicole into the morgue and gasps and sputters, "Ugh. Ah, eww!"

"Yeah, they say you get used to the smell." Nicole says, plainly, letting their corridor conversation rest as there was business to attend to.

Wynonna steels herself and puffs out her chest a bit, saying, "I spent a summer's probation on roadkill removal..." She forces a breath out through her teeth with a 'Pfft!' sound before continuing, "This is nothing."

Nicole says, pulling up on a toe tag, "And here she is... Joyce Arbour." 

Wynonna approaches the body, setting her whiskey bottle down on the table next to it. She's so focused on the white sheet she almost doesn't notice Nicole grab the bottle in a huff to place it on the floor. Wynonna pulls back the sheet from over the face of the body. Nicole gasps lightly, saying "She kinda looks like you, Wynonna."

Wynonna, obviously shaken by the statement, deflects, "Jesus Christ! Who did this?"

They both jump with fright as a distinctively male voice says, "Someone who knew what they were doing..."

Nicole is first to react, immediately placing herself in between Wynonna and the voice. Her hand settles quickly on her sidearm, safety strap unbuttoned before she realizes the intruder, dressed in scrubs, must be the medical examiner. 

Wynonna is slower to react, but exclaims loudly, "Dude! This is a morgue, wear a bell or something, OK?"

The little gray haired man, looks around sort of nonchalantly before saying, "Sorry... Once a ninja, always a ninja... Plus I forget I'm wearing these cotton balls for shoes," gesturing to them before continuing, "They absorb the smell... But you two pretty ladies don't care about that... I'm, uh, Doctor Reggie... The unlucky S.O.B. who has to make sure the dead don't rise again." 

He chuckles and it almost covers Wynonna's grumbling mutter of "You suck at your job."

"Uh, excuse me?" Reggie asks.

Shaking her head, Wynonna replies, "Never mind..."

Nicole watches this whole exchange with a sense that she knows the good Doctor from somewhere, but just can't place him. Maybe she had seen him around the station, but he didn't seem that familiar. Maybe she had seen him around town, but she couldn't recall ever speaking to him. She was usually pretty good about remembering people names and faces. She guesses it must have been just a passing or something, but his voice seemed so familiar too. Hearing Wynonna mutter to herself, she musters herself out of her musings and turns to Reggie and asks frankly, "Did you do this autopsy report?" 

She hands him the file and he scans it before saying, "Uh... If I'd done this, I wouldn't have misspelled 'breasts.' I can tell you something about the body, though..." He takes a bite of some snack in his hand before finishing with his mouth full, "Did my own examination."

Wynonna pipes in, "Anything unusual or... uh... creepy about the wounds or the way she died?"

Reggie turns to her before stating, "Well, she died because humans can't survive when their organs are removed." He casually takes a bite of the licorice he's holding, like they're not standing in front of a dead body right now. 

Wynonna astounded, asks "She was alive when he took them out?!"

"Correct." Reggie states, gesturing toward her sown up cuts, "But the incision isn't what killed her. He drugged her, hooked her up to an I.V., a blood bag, just like any surgeon would doing open heart or intestinal surgery." He leaned in before finishing with a flourish, "But here is the uber-weird part... The wounds were cauterize do as they were made..."

His flourish landed sort of flat with Wynonna, but Nicole took me the bait, "So he cut her open with something hot?"

Taking a bite of his snack again, he replies, "Like lightsaber hot," raising his eyebrows at his clever nerdy-ness.

Wynonna is now staring at the side of Joyce Arbour's neck. She whispers something but it's too low for Nicole to hear. Nicole decides instead of pushing it, she'll follow her own instincts, musing aloud, "Alright, so you remove the organs if you're gonna sell them on the black market... Why would you take'em out just to put'em back in?"

Wynonna follows her, saying "Maybe somebody was looking for something."

Dr. Reggie interrupts saying, "You keep looking at her neck?"

Wynonna incredulously points out, "Yeah, there's a welt... Dude, I saw it on the photos... It's in the shape of a spade, like on a deck of cards."

Dr. Reggie and Nicole move to see, one around either end of the table. The Doctor is the first to respond, "Sweet Crickets! I missed that entirely..."

Nicole interjects, "What would cause that?"

 

Wynonna answers, "Well, she was hit by something in the shape of a spade, right?"

Dr. Reggie blinks before answering, "I mean, sure yeah. Or it could have been prolonged pressure." His faces scrunches up suspicious as he continues, "Did you... uh... study forensics?"

Before Wynonna can answer, loud footsteps echo from the hallway. The footsteps pause for moment and a bell chimes. A green light on the wall flares to life. 

Dr. Reggie gulps, nervously, saying "Someone just went into the cooler... Did you guys come alone?"

Wynonna stares across at Nicole before responding, "I don't know, did we?"

Nicole reaches her hand down to her sidearm again, unlatching the safety latch that holds it in her holster again, turning towards the door. She pauses when Wynonna asks, "There more than one way of getting inside the cooler?"

The doctor replies, "Uh... Yeah, rear exit."

Nicole nods, "Alright, I got it." She turns and heads for the door, pausing briefly to say, "Don't shoot me, Earp."

She crashes out the door and down the hall. She rushes up the stairs to the main floor and heads out the rear exit of the station. She hustles around the side of the building and descends a long ramp to a door. The door label reads, "Purgatory Morgue- Authorized personnel only."

Nicole figures she's probably authorized with a little chuckle to herself, she tries to door handle. It's locked of course. The redhead kicks herself a little bit, realizing she actually wasn't authorized to use this door because she has no key that would fit the lock. She struggles through trying each key just to be sure. She resigns herself to go back around the building and head back to the basement through the front door. She looks around for anything suspicious on the way around the building, but doesn't see anything except for the shadows dancing around in the wind. She hustles back to the morgue. She rushes through the door, slightly out of breath, explaining, "The door was locked... I couldn't get in."

Wynonna turns to her and the redhead catches a shocking glimpse of stark white eyes and a playing card protruding from the mouth of Miss Arbour's corpse, before pulling her gaze up to the Earp's face, "Jesus, Wynonna!" 

Wynonna feels the blood dripping down her face. She scoops up the almost empty whiskey bottle and rushes from the room.

Nicole and the Doctor are left standing, shocked, staring at each other and then the body. "What is going on around here?" the redhead asks, heatedly before storming out of the room, leaving the bewildered Dr. Reggie behind.

The Deputy ascends the stairs two at a time and rushes down the hallway to the bathroom, looking for Wynonna. She finds her, panic attack in full force. Wynonna is huddled in the corner of the bathroom, arms wrapped around her knees and chest, heaving breath ragged and erratic. Nicole approaches with caution, before placing her left hand on the wall above the girl and placing her other hand on the Earp's shoulder. Breathing deep and closing her eyes, Nicole envisions drawing in strength from the world around her with her left hand. She hones the new, yet almost certainly imaginary, surge of energy she feels and focuses it, calming it before using her breath to push it down through her right arm and out into Wynonna's crouched frame. Once, Twice, Three times and Wynonna's shoulders slump slightly under the added weight of Nicole's strength. Her breath hitches slightly and then eases, returning to normal after just a few more short breaths.

A silent moment later, Wynonna looks up at the redhead, in awe, "Haught-stuff, I think you might have some magic hands there."

Nicole flushes a deep crimson, and shrugs looking away and then moving away, hoping that her deflection of the compliment and the distance will mean the end of this conversation. She should really know better than to hope though because Wynonna isn't one to just let things like this go.

"Really, dude... What was that? I felt this like crazy, weird, calm come over me. It felt kinda hard like stone, but like a live electric current, all at the same time. Like it was a moving, living, breathing thing instead of just a feeling... I..." Her voice trails off as she loses her train of thought. "I... I just can't even describe it."

"Well... I uh... Anyways, how's your nose?" Nicole attempts to deflect the conversation again. She really isn't ready to drop her own weirdness on Wynonna. She could tell the Earps had enough weirdness of their own. So she kept her secrets secret. The redhead has always been a 'conduit' as her grandmother had called it. An empath, a channel, a intermediary of sorts. She had felt and seen things other people couldn't and the feelings she gets in Purgatory are really no different than her feelings when she had visited places like Salem, Massachusetts or Gettysburg, Virginia or the Black Hills of South Dakota. These places had seen thier fair share of fear and death. The atmosphere of tragedy in Purgatory may have been different, but the roots are the same.  

Wynonna is talking, but Nicole can't hear a word she's saying. Finally breaking her concentration from far away memories, the officer catches the last bit, "I need a drink."

The Earp opens the bottle that's lying at her feet and drains the rest of the bottle before pulling herself up of the floor and out the door in search of more.

Nicole follows, if only to be sure that Wynonna doesn't freak out again. They walk all through the front desk area, Wynonna opening cabinets and pushing her way around. Nicole following. The redhead gives another shrug to the front desk officer who barely even looks up this time. 

After a thorough search of the front, Wynonna breezes down the hall toward the break room.

Nicole follows, worrying the whole time whether she should have just told Wynonna everything. Wynonna knows about the weirdness in town and they could have compared notes. But... What if she thinks you're crazy?... What if she freaks and tells Waverly?... What if Waverly freaks?... _I can't lose her_... But... If I don't give some answers I may never get any in return... Nicole resigns herself, following closely behind Wynonna as she enters the break room. She closes the door after her and calls out, "Nobody keeps booze in here, Wynonna... Except you!"  The older Earp turns to the redhead as she continues, gesturing towards her nose, "You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Yeah... Dry morgue air is murder on the schnoz..." Wynonna smirks, obviously not willing to play Nicole's disclosure game.

Nicole heated, tries to pressure the Earp, "Bullshit!!" she exclaims, "I think somebody's trying to scare you, toy with you. Why?!"

Wynonna tries to be nonchalant, replying, "I picked up this case like a hour ago, how could---"

Nicole interjects, "It connected to you? Yeah... I would really like to know that too. People getting eaten by something? Call Wynonna... Guy gets murdered by a man in a mirror? Yeah Wynonna to the rescue..."

The Earp obviously doesn't like being pressed because she turns to Nicole and spit out, "Black Badge specializes in cases that are... too complex for rookie flat foots, so it makes sense that you're a bit confused."

Nicole scoffs and sputters, "I'm not---"

Wynonna cuts her off, moving forward sort of aggressively, "Alternately... I don't suppose you have a deck of playing cards in this utility belt." The Earp reaches for Nicole duty belt, but Nicole flinches and flicks her hand away.

"Excuse me?!" Nicole blurts out, taking a step away.

"How do I know you didn't double back to mess with the body? Yeah, you're awfully interested in me and my sister. Maybe I should be grilling the shit out of you. Maybe you are the crazy one." Wynonna steps toward Nicole again, but Nicole stands her ground this time.

Adjusting her jaw and shaking her head slightly, the officer grits her teeth before she speaks, "You of all people should know better than to try to make me question my sanity."

The redhead takes a step back, mentally cursing herself for letting this tension form between them. The bond that she had been feeling grow between Wynonna and herself had been almost palpable, but now it is virtually nonexistent. She averts her gaze from the Earp before turning on her heel and stalking out the break room and back to her desk. 

She can't help but to fall into a little wallow about how much she misses Waverly and how much she would've loved to have just skipped out on work tonight and crashed the party with Wynonna, like the older Earp had suggested. She could have avoided this whole evening. The awkward drinking on the job, the bloody noses, the panic attacks, the dream flash backs and most importantly, the accusations. The idea that Nicole would actually do something to deface a body just to mess with Wynonna is ridiculous and the redhead can't believe that Wynonna would just turn on her that quickly. Nicole wonders if maybe it was just the whiskey, or rather lack thereof, that made Wynonna snap at her. She really can't afford for things to go south with Wynonna. Not if she wants whatever is blossoming between herself and the youngest Earp to bear fruit. Attempting to shake off her lingering tipsy feeling, Nicole sips at her now very cold coffee, hoping it will tide her over until she is sure Wynonna has vacated the break room.  

About an hour passes in relative silence. A couple of times the front desk phone rings, and it is answered, but nothing really disturbs Nicole in her brooding over cold coffee. Finally, mug empty, she ventures out of the bullpen office and heads back into the break room and kicks the coffee pot to life. She waits for the first cup to come out before pulling the carafe out and pouring her mug full quickly replacing it before the basket and filter have a chance to over flow. 

Liquid caffeine in hand, she reopens the break room door to exit as Wynonna sprints down the halfway. Nicole calls out to her, "Where's the fire?" Not getting an answer, Nicole follows after Wynonna quickly, placing her full mug on the corner of the front desk and rushes out into the early morning hours chasing the older Earp, calling again "Wynonna! What's going on?"

Wynonna turns on a dime and shouts back at the redhead, "Trouble at the homestead. Waverly just called. You- You can join me if you want... I could use some backup I guess." Her voice breaks as she continues, "Come on, you can drive," motioning towards Nicole's cruiser. 

"OK, but I gotta let Dave know I'm heading out. I'll be back in two shakes." Nicole explains, tossing Wynonna the keys, "Get her warmed up."

The redhead rushes inside, runs to her desk and grabs her to go mug. She sprints back to the front desk, saying "Heading down to the Earp homestead for a while, Dave. Wynonna said there's some kinda disturbance... Be back after while." She skillfully transfers her coffee into the to-go mug and dashes out the door to her cruiser.

Sliding into the driver's seat she barks, "Buckle up!" She slams the cruiser around the parking lot before forcing a squeal from the tires as she takes off over the curb. With lights on, but no sirens, Nicole makes the trip to the Earp homestead take about 15 minutes instead of the 20 it usually takes. Normally, she would stop at the stop signs and obey the speed limit, but Waverly could be in danger. That's all that crosses her mind as she jets around the corners and blows the stop signs.

They arrive at the top of the driveway in a drift turn and Nicole looks over to Wynonna for the first time since she slid behind the wheel. She stops the car seeing Wynonna's knuckles are white and her face looks a bit green. "Wynonna... You ok?"

Nicole's voice shocks the Earp, who sputters, "Oh... Uh... Yeah, I'm good. Didn't know you knew how to drive like that. Gotta admit, I may get little motion sick sometimes."

"Ahh... Sorry," the officer says with a little shrug. "Here, push down here," she continues, reaching across and grabbing at Wynonna's wrist. The Earp draws away quickly. Nicole kicks herself, sagging her shoulders. She reaches out her hand again and presses down on her own wrist, demonstrating for Wynonna. "Push down on your wrist there and that should relieve the symptoms... My dad used to get motion sick too..."

Wynonna turns to exit the car and Nicole can see the Earp grabbing at her own wrist and taking a deep breath. Nicole thinks 'Maybe all is not lost.'

Wynonna takes a couple steps away from the cruiser before she hears the redhead open her door. She turns back and obviously debates before saying, sort of shyly, "Maybe I should get the lay of the land down there, first. We usually have some classified stuff just kinda lying around. Some things, I'm sure, Dolls wouldn't want seen by anyone not Black Badge. I'll let you know when it's clear?"

Nicole huffs, but accepts it. She closes the cruiser door again. She watches as Wynonna all but disappears into the darkness... _Something about this isn't right_... She looks down towards the house and though she can't make out details from this distance she can feel a distinct power in the air, a delicate tension, a struggle for balance. She wishes more than anything she could just charge down the road, rushing to Waverly's side like a knight of the old world, upon her fiery steed, but she knows that would only cause problems. Problems like having to explain herself to Wynonna and probably to Waverly too; problems like finding a dire situation she couldn't help with (being a local flatfoot that is), where she might only get people hurt because of the distraction she would cause; problems like being unable to keep herself together if she were to find Waverly hurt... or worse. Taking herself down to that dark place, she wonders if the worst has happened. She's not sure she could handle having that be her last memory of the beautiful brunette, finding her heart cold, eyes staring open, mouth agape, like Joyce Arbour from the morgue. She shivers at the thought. Just her imagination's vision of that sight is enough to turn her stomach and make her heart rate sky rocket. Her adrenaline is really pumping now and riding in to save the day seems all the more appealing. 

After an arduous internal struggle, she resigns herself to waiting and kicks back a bit in the driver's seat, turning the music up slightly, listening to her 'Gay Girls!' mix on her phone. Women's folk rock always seems to calm her down. She allows her mind to wander over her memories with Waverly. From their first meeting to Waverly standing slack jawed in her studio listening to the officer sing a song she had written just for the young Earp. She dwells on the big moments as well as all the little stolen glances and light touches in between. Her thoughts finally settle on their unplanned, but welcome encounter in the saloon parking lot from the night before. She wraps her arms around her chest in an attempt to ease the longing ache she feels there. She fears she may come apart from all the dread, worry, anxiety and yearning. The music breaks and the next song cuts in... _Pull back the shield between us... And I'll kiss you... Drop your defenses and come into my arms... I'm all for believing (I'm all for believing)... I'm all for believing if you can reveal the true colors within... I know you blanket your mind... So much that I am blind... But I, I see you've painted your soul... Into your guard... I'm all for believing (I'm all for believing)..._

She finds she does believe, hearing the lyrics like they were her own words. She has to accept her fear and doubt. She has to see things for what they could be. She has to believe in what's started and see it through. She believes with everything she is and everything she has. Waverly will be fine. Waverly is strong, if not in might, then in intellect and in courage. It's not just that Waverly will be fine, she is fine. Her faith calming her, she relaxes now and drifts in and out until finally there's a knock on the cruiser's window.


	11. Chapter 11

Awakening in a strange place, Nicole panics for a moment. She thought she had been just drifting in and out, when in fact she had been fast asleep for at least a couple of hours. The sun is up and rising higher into the sky. It's probably around eight by the looks of it. The knocking continues as she brings her focus to it. A man with a bushy moustache and gambler style cowboy hat is looking at her with a puzzled smirk. She just stares at him for a moment. He looks like an old western movie extra. She has seen him before around town, mostly with Wynonna, but she had never been introduced to him, per se. She's not sure what his real name is, but she has heard people call him Doc.

Rolling her window down, the officer says, "Yes. Can I help you?"

"Well ma'am I believe it is I who can help you. Wynonna asked me to let you know you can head down to the house. She said to tell you, and I quote... 'to bring your hot ass and your open mind.' What that all means really I am not sure," he replies with a wink. The officer gives him a puzzled look and he clarifies, "The events last night were... well extraordinary and I believe she wishes... or rather hopes you will try to accept things at face value rather than make more questions. She has enough questions for you both I assure you. That's purely my simplest assessment of the situation though... As for the 'hot ass' part of her message, I am sure your a-"

Nicole laughs quickly and interrupts saying, "I- I have a feeling Wynonna was trying to make a pun from my name... It's Haught, Nicole Haught. I'm the new rookie in town." She offers him her hand and he accepts it after only a moment's hesitation, giving it a quick firm shake before releasing it. Nicole narrows her eyes at him. She studies his expression and realizes he's embarrassed. "I think Wynonna was probably having a bit of fun with you too. I bet she thought you'd be too much of a gentlemen to actually say something like that to me," and when she laughs again, he seems to relax and laugh a little as well. Nicole wonders who this man is to Wynonna. He's obviously a friend, but how close. She thinks back to the first night with Waverly in her cruiser. 'Is this the man Wynonna had her little barn rendezvous with? That hat certainly seems familiar,' she muses to herself. She would have to keep an eye out on that one.

Trying to continue their amicable banter, Nicole says, "Well if an open mind is what she wants I guess she can have that, but as for my hot ass, it belongs to another... so... Shall we?" She gestures towards the passenger seat as she turns the ignition. 

Doc shyly smiles at the mention of Nicole's assets again and stammers a bit before saying, "If you'll forgive me ma'am, I'll take my leave. I have some business to attend to in town," He tips his hat, nodding his head and turns to go.

"Please next time, just call me Nicole, or Haught... Ma'am makes me feel old," Nicole says with an almost shy smile.

"Of course, Officer Haught. Listen... I know being around the Earp's can sometimes drive a man to drink... So, I wonder what their effect will be on you. If you find yourself needing a drink later, come find me at Shorty's... I'll have a whiskey shot waiting for you." With a wink and another nod, he sets off down the road toward town.

Nicole is slightly confused by why he would be walking to town instead of driving, seeming as it’s a least a few miles to wherever he may be going, but she dismisses these thoughts, knowing that the armed man is probably perfectly capable of fending for himself. She sets herself off down the drive toward the homestead.

As she arrives, Chrissy Nedley appears on the porch, bundled up against the cold in a knee length coat. The blonde immediately waves her down. Nicole pulls the cruiser up to the house much like she had that night not so long ago, coasting up to the house and finishing with a slow stop. She gets out and Chrissy quickly wraps her into a tight hug. "She's ok... shaken up but mostly ok," Chrissy whispers before pulling away. "Thank you for coming out, Officer Haught. This place needs some real law around here. Last night was crazy." Chrissy concludes louder, adopting a more serious and casual tone for the eavesdropping ears nearby.

Playing along with Chrissy's change in demeanor, absolutely aware of Wynonna's puzzled look after their embrace. Nicole replies, "Of course, Miss Nedley. Not a problem at all. Care to tell me what happened last night?" She pulls out her note book from its pouch on her duty belt, as well as a pen from the chest pocket of her uniform jacket.

Chrissy relays the events of the party, the 'lame' beginning, Steph's almost belligerent banter, Doc's arrival, the poker game that in sued, and then the strange noises from outside. Nicole notices when Wynonna gets distracted mid-story and walks away. She wonders where the older Earp is off to, but brings her attention back to Chrissy. 

"Doc went out to the barn to check out a noise and shortly after Waverly followed. I was worried about her so went to the window to watch them. Doc was acting nervous and said something I couldn't hear, but Waverly must've dismissed it as nothing because they walked back to the house arm in arm," Chrissy says, before taking a deep breath. "We settled back into the game, drinking and laughing and generally having a good time..." The young Woman's voice breaks a little. "Well everyone but Steph was having a good time... Doc went out to smoke and Steph started to get testy. She was on her way out to bum a cigarette off him, but when she opened the door she found a delivery guy standing there. We all assumed he was a stripper... Of course, Waverly got a stripper for Steph... it really seemed the perfect timing too... Definitely what the party needed.... Uh, anyway..." Chrissy pauses to breathe again and Nicole finds herself wishing Chrissy would just cut to the chase. She didn't want to hear about some stripper, especially because she knew the stripper had been a guy. She shudders a little at the thought of Waverly ogling some guys 'package.' She knows Waverly is bi... _Bi, right?_... but she just doesn't want to think about that. She shakes of the thought just as Chrissy says, "...and then things got weird..."

After another pregnant pause, Nicole finally says, "What do you mean... weird?"

"Well, the clock struck midnight... And there were gunshots from outside and... the... the stripper just kinda snapped... He turned on Waverly and just put his hand out and picked her up by the throat... I... I was panicking... I couldn't do anything but scream at him to put her down... Waverly just hung there... gasping and I couldn't do anything to stop it... I..."

"Chrissy, take a deep breath... Can you tell me what happened after that? Is... Is Waverly really ok? You can tell me... I... I can handle it..." Her voice breaks and it's a lie and Nicole knows it. 

Chrissy puts her hand on Nicole's forearm and says, "I promise you... She is fine. Just gimme a minute, ok?" After a few deep breaths from Chrissy and a couple, almost impatient, huffs from the officer, Chrissy finally continues, "Doc burst in and drew his gun and... and the stripper guy got distracted and she just... she just scissored him... Waverly scissored the stripper... I really panicked then... Dad always said, 'Just put as many people between you and the intruders as you can.' I ran upstairs and hid... I... I was in the closet in Willa's room. Waverly came in a little while later. She seemed like she was on a mission and when she pulled a box out from a vent in the wall things got even weirder... She had this skull... Like a frickin human skull... She said something about the witch being just another bully and then she left out the window... I tried to stop her. I tried to talk sense into her, but she said she was the keeper of the bones... And I really didn't know what she meant, but I just let her go... I went down stairs long enough to tell Doc that she had said to tell him she was sorry and about how she left... Doc told me he would find her and told me to hide... So I hid... ‘til it was over. I didn't come out ‘til Wynonna came to get me about... I don't know, a half hour ago, maybe... Maybe I... I mean Steph... She's gone... That's all they would tell me. She's gone... I can't believe Steph is just... gone. I shouldn't have been such a coward. I should've helped, or I don't know... I should've done anything really..."

"Hey... Don't beat yourself up. We all have that fight or flight instinct... Your dad was right to tell you to trust the flight side of yours. Unless you're really ready for a fight, flight is almost always the better way. You did what you could to protect yourself and in that kind of situation, that may have made all the difference. You essentially took your safety out of the equation by protecting yourself like that. You allowed others to concentrate on the situation, to work towards a solution without worry for your safety," Nicole says, softly, running her hand up to stroke it across Chrissy's arm, attempting to soothe her. What Nicole doesn't really realize is how much of her own calming and healing energy she's putting into the touch, and when her hand warms and tingles she simply squeezes the young woman's elbow before breaking the contact. 

"Thanks, Nicole. I guess, sometimes, I just wish I was a little more like my dad or well... you for that matter." Chrissy whispers, warm tingles spreading up her arm from Nicole's touch. The gesture obviously isn't romantic, just soothing and the warmth it creates spreads through her like a slow building wave. Realizing how cold she actually is, she takes in a shaky breath and continues, "Listen, do you think I could head back in now? I'm starting to get pretty cold."

"Oh god, of course. I'm sorry I kept you out here so long. Thanks for telling me what happened... You want me to call your dad?" Nicole asks.

"Nah... I'm good. I'm gonna check in with Waverly again and then probably head home. Maybe we can avoid mentioning this to my dad actually..."

"Uh, that may be kind of hard. I imagine with Black Badge involved Steph will become a missing person, at least officially... I think Nedley will have some interest in last night events, especially after I file a report about it and I'm sorry about that, but people at the station know I'm here. They'll expect a formal report... It'll probably be better if your dad hears about all this from you rather than from me," the officer replies, putting her hand back on Chrissy's elbow. "I'm sure you can leave out the weird parts though. Surely, Wynonna's already given you that speech though." Nicole looks down briefly before making eye contact with the young woman again. She offers her most honest smile as she says, "Look, Chrissy... I really, really appreciate you sharing the whole story with me though and I'll be sure to leave out the weirder stuff in my report too. Don't wanna rock the boat, you know, at least for now?"

"Yeah. I guess you're right... Well, thanks again, Officer Haughty," Chrissy says, quietly, with a little smirk and a wink, as she turns to walk back towards the house.

Wynonna noticing their conversation is over, approaches the redhead, with questioning eyes and the hint of a smirk. Nicole doesn't let her ask what ever she's coming over to ask, saying, "Your sister OK?"

"Yeah, well she's being Waverly," the Earp says, with a huffed laugh and a wider smirk. She looks away briefly and Nicole is so glad she does. The obvious relief in the redhead's eyes would surely be a dead giveaway of her feelings for the younger Earp. Chrissy had said she was ok, but hearing it from Wynonna is more reassuring. She would have a better idea of Waverly's wellbeing because they're sisters, being able to read each other kind of comes with the territory.

Nicole is starting to get anxious for some real information about what the hell is actually going on in Purgatory. Wynonna could definitely tell her the whole truth, but something is holding her back. She had formed some kind of bond with Wynonna earlier back at the station and now she just needs to get it back. She smirks and squints into the light of the sun saying, "Yeah... well Chrissy says she scissored a stripper." She hopes the innuendo will make Wynonna laugh, but when all she does is grimace Nicole knows she'll have to keep fishing, "So... Any idea why your homestead was targeted? Other than the fact that it's yours?" 

Wynonna looks away again, but her face changes and she looks back at the redhead with a resolve Nicole has never seen in Wynonna before. The Earp says, "You know what, we should get some breakfast. I could murder a stack of pancakes." She draws out the 'ur' in murder, for emphasis and Nicole can't hold back the huffed laugh that escapes her. Wynonna's expression softens a little and she continues, "Then we'll talk... really talk." 

Nicole quirks her head to the side. She's a little taken aback by this revelation and she calculates for a moment before she says, "Ok, you gonna help me understand why some of these cases are a little complex for local flat foots?" She realizes it's harsh, but Wynonna had really hurt her with that one.

Raising her hands slightly in defense, the Earp says, almost delicately, "I'll do my best." Wynonna glances down at her phone, pushes the home button and lets out a defeated sigh.

"Your boss gonna be ok with that?" Nicole challenges, as gently as she can.

"My boss isn't here," Wynonna replies with a slight shrug. 

"Ok," Nicole replies. 

Wynonna says, quickly, "Guess you're my ride," and she turns from the redhead and starts walking for the passenger side of the cruiser.

Nicole chances a glance at the porch and is rewarded, handsomely. Waverly is there, taking her friend's arm. She smiles and the light of it reaches all the way up to her eyes. It's a radiant thing and for a moment Nicole can't imagine ever looking away. Waverly offers a little wave and Nicole is obviously flustered when she returns it. The smile on her face a mirror image of the brunette's, relief and joy. Waverly seems to get shy from their heart eyed gaze and looks away only to return her eyes to the redhead again a moment later. Her smile transforms into a sweet grin. Nicole starts to get lost in Waverly's eyes. She can feel herself take a step forward but isn't aware she told her feet to move.

The opening of the cruiser's passenger side door snaps Nicole out of the moment and she reluctantly turns on her heel and gets into the driver's seat.

Nicole and Wynonna ride for a minute or two in silence before Nicole can't take it anymore. "Wynonna... Did Waverly really scissor the stripper?"

Wynonna laughs awkwardly, arching an eyebrow at the redhead, "What's it to you if she did? What? You got a crush on my baby sister or something?"

Nicole is speechless. This is exactly the type of conversation she's been trying to avoid. She just can't help but try to get some clarity about what Waverly had actually done. She knows her definition of scissoring and that image is really not something she wants in her head. Before Wynonna could answer, a man steps out onto the highway and it's all Nicole can do to stop the car before she runs him over. She watches him point a crooked finger at Wynonna and then her, before all hell breaks loose...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Spoiler alert... This is the abduction chapter. It's totally different from the other chapters, but I felt like writing this chapter in a traditional narrative wouldn't do the experience justice. Stream of consciousness writing can be a little hard to follow. I hope it makes sense.

Everything is moving too slow... I'm too slow... Oozing. Warmth. Woozy. Eyes blinking. Unfocused. Flashing. Pulling. Opening. Dripping. Looking and seeing. Drip. Drip. Drip. Touching. Hands to face. Blood. So much blood. Shock... Is that my blood... Syringe. Pain. Stabbing. Burning. Injecting. Gray. Grey. Hair. Man... What'd he just give me... Him. Him. Her. Waverly. NO. Concentrate. Wynonna. Gone... Where'd she go... I have to help her... Reaching. Slapping. Slipping. Gasping. Slowing. Him. Dragging... Dragging something. Woods... What's he dragging... Pulling. Reaching. Collar. Gasping. Out. Falling. Slowing. Blinking. Focusing... I'm being taken... Wynonna's been taken... Waverly... Don't fail Waverly... Breathe... Fight... Pulling. Tearing. Ripping. Fighting. Yanking. Dropping. Falling. Hauling. Dragging. Bumping. Bruising. Wrong. Black...

 

 

Emily Falkner walks out the back door of the bank. She sets her eyes on her car, through the dark, over the snow and ice. Fiddling with her keys, she searches her perimeter. 'Never can be too careful,' she thinks. She sees a man, pacing around a car. He tries each door handle and the trunk latch as he passes. He seems distressed. He's a little older, maybe 40. He's got great salt and pepper hair and a soft face. Even though he looks angry, she's sure he's probably just a nice guy in a desperate situation. "You ok over there?" she calls out with a wave.

The man wheels around towards her, surprise evident in his features. Recovering he says, "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there. Uh... Actually I'm not ok... I locked my keys in my car." He pauses to take a breath and she thinks she's right, he seems nice enough. "Problem is my phone’s in there too... You uh... You think I could use yours?" he asks, looking down, embarrassed.

"Sure thing, Hun. Why don't you come get in my car to make your call? I can get it warmed up and wait with you if you want. I got nowhere else to be really," she says, gesturing towards the passenger's side. She thinks he's cute now that she's getting a better look at him, but she's trying to contain herself. She's just meet this guy.

"Yeah... That'd be great. Your timing couldn’t be better. I was just starting to get cold," he says, moving towards her car.

Once inside the car, she begins rummaging through her purse, looking for her phone. The man mumbles something and she looks up, just in time to catch his hands moving towards her neck. She's too shocked to move at first. His grip tightens, and she can't breathe. She's struggling, flailing, gasping. Losing. Consciousness. "You're perfect..." Black...

 

 

Blinking. Clawing. Gripping. Pulling. Blinking... I have to get free... I have to escape... Get Help... Get back to Waverly... Somehow... Reaching. Slowing. Dragging. Breathing. Bleeding. Cut. More Blood... I have to get help... Help... Wynonna... Scraping. Bumping. Thumping. Yanking. Pulling. Limbs. Popping. Branches. Banging. Kicking. Screaming... No one can hear you except me, scream all you want... You're wrong anyway... Smirking. Cracking. Grinning. Jerking. Popping. Smacking. Throbbing. Blinding. Eyes. Black...

 

 

Checking her makeup in the mirror, Michelle Dymock takes a deep breath before reapplying and then blotting her lipstick. She didn't really expect to meet anyone tonight, just having a quick drink after her long day at the office. He is cute though, in a nerdy sort of way, she thinks, which she can work with. He definitely has the distinguished older man look going for him. If he keeps up this sweet talk, she thinks she might even ask him to drive her home. 

The lights in the bathroom flicker, but hold. 'Must just be a power surge,' she thinks, absently checking her teeth for traces of lipstick. A moment later, the lights go out and stay out. 'Just a power outage, no biggie,' she assumes. Digging deep into her purse, she rummages for the lighter she knows is in there. Finding it, she pulls it out and strikes it. Her shocked gasp breaks the heavy silence. Her cute, nerdy man is there. She smiles. He raises his hands and there's something in one of them. She hears a loud thump, but doesn't register the pain. "You'll be just right..." Black...

 

 

Kicking. Hurting. Pain. Wrong. Screaming... Where am I... Slowing... What's happening... Slowing... Kicking. Striking. Folding. Pain. Exploding. Kicking. Over. Over. Over... It's over... Time to give in... Can't... Give... In... Fight... Two. Much. Too. Much. Pain. Darkening. Settling. Burning. Bleeding. Kicking. Wrong... What's wrong... I'm wrong... Slowing. Breathing. Beating. Slowing. Spreading. Flaring. Sparking. Pulling. Catching. Growing. Pain. Breaking... Something broken... I'm broken... Wrong... Fire. Spreading. Consuming. Settling. Deep. Overwhelming. Black...

 

 

Laying on her couch, Joyce Arbour daydreams over a glass of wine. The dinner rush tonight had been a challenge, balancing waiting her tables while dodging the advances and shenanigans of her soon to be ex. She can't believe she's put up with his shit this long. Always coming in on nights he know she's working, picking fights with other customers, and expecting to get away with it because she works there. 'Such high school bull shit,' she thinks.

There's a knock at the door. She ignores it. It must be him hoping to apologize. "Not this time, buddy," she calls out, moving towards the door to check the locks. She decides to look through the peephole just to be sure. There's a hand hovering in her view. It knocks again and withdraws. She realizes the man on her doorstep is not her boyfriend.

The man speaks, "Hello? Look, I could really use some help here." He's struggling with something wrapped in a blanket held in his arms.   

She's wary, but decides it can't hurt to hear this guy out. She shakes slightly as she fiddles with that deadbolt and lock. She leaves the door chain in place though. Cracking the door open, she asks, "What happened?"

"I think he got hit by a car. I just found him in the middle of the road, like this," he replies, as he draws back some of the blanket revealing a bloody, panting dog.

"Oh god... Please. Please come in," she whines, closing the door to slip the chain off before opening it wider again. She leads the man and the dog into the kitchen and he lays the bundle on the counter. "Let me get my phone from the other room and we'll call the sheriff's department... They'll know what to do," she concludes, turning towards the hallway that leads back into the house.

Halfway up the hall, she hears it, a loud snap. Like static... _Like arching electricity_... Turning towards it with her arms out, she's too slow and the pain drives her onto the balls of her feet. She's frozen, paralyzed, stiff... "You're ideal..." Black...

 

 

Dragging. Burning. Bleeding. Hefting. Bending. Waist. Floating. Carrying... He's carrying me... How... Where... Bumping. Here. Jarring. There. Steps. Where. Floating. Bumping. Head. Down. Flailing. Lolling. Breathing. Smelling. Gagging. Choking... What is that smell... Mold... No... Brushing. Bumping. Flaming. Pain. Stabbing. Jarring. Dumping. Cold. Falling. Ground... Just leave me to die... Freezing. Dirty. Burning. Pain. Can't. Breath. Move. Flashing. Bleeding. Dying. Breathing. Beating. Slowing. Screaming... Wake up... Endure... Think... Waverly... Blinking. Waverly. Blinking. Kicking. Blocking. Breaking. Spitting... "You're the wrong kind"... Black...

 

 

Bethany Palamino stomps down the icy road, grumbling under her breath. "I can't believe Doc. I was starting think we might actually have something there. Guess I was wrong... I thought he wanted me... He was just using me... Just like every other man in my life... I- I can't believe I gotta walk all the way back to town in these fucking shoes..." 

The distant rumbling of an engine draws her out of her rambling. She turns to look over her shoulder. It's a bread truck. 'Maybe he'll stop. My feet are killing me,' she thinks as the truck comes to a stop out in front of her. She hustles along and when the side door opens, she says, in her most friendly voice, "Hey, you... You heading in to town? These boots ain't made for walking." She looks down at them and that's her mistake. She feels her body jerk forward and a searing pain in her throat, blood sprays... "This was unplanned, but I'm sure you'll do..." Black...

 

 

Waking. Jerking. Blinking. Shivering. Fighting... I have to fight... I can't give up... Waverly... Can't give up Waverly... Thrashing. Flailing. Fighting. Restraining... Can't move... Can't get away... Left me... He left me... Fighting. Stop. Forcing. Down. Haught. Stop... Can't... Can't stop... Wynonna... Waverly... Can't stop... Biting. Snapping. Jerking. Struggling. Stop. Fighting. Slapping. Shock. Stiff. Still. Slowing. Slowing. Stalling... Can't... Can't stop... Can't fight... Can't go on... Blinking. Breathing. Slowing. Beating. Stop. NO. Pumping. Pushing. Pumping. Forcing. Breathing. Pumping. Pushing. Pumping. Nothing. NO. Clear. Pain. Jolting. Jerking. Stilling. Again. Clear... Beating... Got it... GO... Black... So. Deep. Black...

 

 

 

Black... White... Black... White. Walls... Black... White...

 

 

Blinking. Focusing. Breathing. Wake. Pain. Blinking. Warmth. Light. Up. Blinding. Blinking. Focusing... Who's there... Beeping. Escalating. Insistent. Irritating. Nicole. Aching. Breathing. Blinking. Black...

 

 

"Nicole... Wake up... It's ok... You're safe now..."

 

 

Waking. Disorienting. Working. Breathing. Beating. Warmth... In my hand... A hand in my hand... "Waverly..."

 

 

"No... Chrissy... But good guess though... Nicole... Wake up, please... Open your eyes," Chrissy says, and Nicole can almost focus on it, on her voice, but it sounds so far away. "Come on Officer Icy-Haught... Open your eyes... Look at me... You're safe now," Chrissy whines, pleading. "They need you, need to know what you know about what happened... They're on their way... You need to focus, Waverly."

Nicole's eyes shoot open at the sound of that name... _Yes, Waverly needs me_... She looks widely around the room. Realizing she can't see she blinks furiously at the gunky contacts in her eyes and makes to move her arms to push herself up. A burning pain in her chest drives her right back against the bed. She hears, "Whoa there kiddo... Where you think you're goin?" She turns her head quickly and her vision blurs further and her head swims. "Just try to relax. Take deep breaths. You've been through a lot in the last few hours." Nicole tries to follow the advice and allows her head to rest against the stiff pillow. After a few relaxing moments her vision begins to clear and she assesses her surroundings. The private hospital room seems almost cozy, with light blue walls, with a window on the wall beside the bed and dark blue paint for the trim. There are machines and monitors and I.V. bags, both clear and red. Her head is still swimming, but it's lessening. 

She breathes and tries harder to focus. She slowly turns her head and catches Chrissy's gaze. "Oh... Thank god Nicole. I thought we were gonna lose you. This is Doctor Hubbel. He's the one who's been taking care of you," Chrissy says, with a hint a mirth and shy grin. Nicole chokes on her breath a little and takes Chrissy in as the blonde rubs her shoulder comfortingly. Chrissy is still wearing the same clothes as the last time she saw her, with her burgundy lace top and black skirt in view this time, her knee length grey coat draped over her knees. She gestures for Nicole to look at the mid forties man in scrubs and a lab coat standing by the door. He waves, and smiles a nervous sort of smile.

Doctor Hubbel takes a step forward and places a hand on her bed. He says, "Glad to see you're awake. When you're ready we can talk about your injuries, but for now though just try to relax. Right now, there's nothing that's really life threatening. Sheriff Nedley called a few moments ago and said they had to talk to you as soon as possible. They'll be here shortly, but do try not to drag this out too long. You haven't been full evaluated yet. We need to run some more tests to see how extensive your internal injuries are... Just, don't worry, we'll take good care of you. You're in good hands." He pats her shin lightly before stepping out of the room.

Nicole turns her focus back to Chrissy, almost crying, chocking out "Chrissy... Not... Not that I'm not glad you're here but... Uh... how did you know I was?" 

"Oh... My dad called and asked me to come sit with you while he went to the station to fetch Deputy Marshall Dolls. He said they'd be along a fast as they could... So... uh... How you feeling?" Chrissy asks, even though she already knows the answer really.

"Chrissy... I feel like I've been beaten and dragged through the woods and left for dead... Pretty sure that's how I look too," Nicole explains, frustration exacerbated by the spikes of pain in her chest as she breathes. 

Chrissy examines her face and says, "Actually you don't look too bad... Here look, all Haught-n-bothered... Just gonna be one little scar on your forehead." She lifts a compact out of her purse and positions it so the redhead can see herself. "Let's just run a brush through your hair though... You've definitely got this 'wild sex in the woods' look going on," she continues, with a little shy laugh.

"Yeah... If only... Hey, thanks for being here Chrissy. It's really nice waking up to a friendly face," Nicole utters quietly, trying to hide the pain in her voice.

Chrissy takes a brush from her bag and begins to run it through the redhead's tresses, smoothing out the roughness, breaking up the tangles and picking out some small bits of bark and leaves. "There... Much better!" she exclaims, offering the compact to Nicole again. 

"Thanks... Listen, I really do appreciate you being here, but I kinda need a quiet minute... Your dad will be here soon and they're gonna have questions and I need to think. That ok?" Nicole asks, hoping she hasn't offended her friend... _Yeah, Chrissy's definitely a friend... i just hope she sees it that way too..._

The blonde woman is a little offended, but she doesn't show it, instead saying, "Of course. You do what you need to do. I'll go get some coffee and come back later." Chrissy squeezes Nicole's hand lightly before letting go and she slips out of the room quietly.

Nicole's mind is reeling. She's desperately trying to remember anything about the last... _What time is it?_... few, maybe several, hours. All she can remember is the sweet, almost shy, smile Waverly had given her from the front porch that morning and the man stepping out onto the highway, after that nothing but black until the hospital. She's trying desperately to relax and think when she hears a voice she recognizes in the hallway. 

"I know Deputy Earp is still out there and we'll continue the search, but we agreed my officer-"

A different voice breaks in "IS our only witness. I need to question her before her memory becomes more clouded than it is."

Nedley huffs, "Well... I'd feel more comfortable with the green light from her doctor..."

Nicole finally realizes they are talking about her. She speaks, unsteady at first but confidence building, "Sheriff? I'm good... Ok? I... I wanna help."

Nedley steps into the room, looking a bit disheveled and definitely not clean shaven. Nicole notices he's fidgeting nervously, passing his hat back and forth in his hands. He looks tired, too. When he speaks, his voice is gruff and a little strained, "Well, I'll swing by and make sure that cat of yours is fed."

Nicole laughs a little and it hurts, but she swallows it before saying, "She doesn't really like men."

Nedley smirks and says, "Well, who does?" He turns and leaves as Dolls and Doc enter the room. Dolls manages to give off an air of authority in his casual grey sweater under a green slightly puffy jacket. Nicole barely glances at Doc when her breath hitches as she catches sight of the small brunette lurking in the doorway. The first thing Nicole notices is the brunette's arm is in a sling, and not a professional one. Her eyes roam over Waverly looking for signs of other injuries. Not finding any, Nicole relaxes a bit and takes a moment to appreciate the sight in front of her. Waverly's outfit is familiar, jade green top with the knit see through shoulders and that khaki skirt, long legs proudly on display. The look on the brunette's face though is haunted and her eyes are rimmed with unshod tears. Nicole's heart swells with emotion and her chest begins to burn. The brunette looks like she could... _and maybe should_... cry at any second and the redhead's heart breaks for her. She's so lost in all her different feelings for the young Earp that she doesn't even consciously register Dolls' first question... _What was the last thing you saw_...

Nicole answers quickly, though, "Waverly Earp smiling at me from her front porch..." She hears herself speak, but doesn't really register her words until she glances up and sees Dolls' raised eyebrows. She stutters as she tries to think... _Right the man on the highway..._ "and uh... A man stepping out onto the highway... Flagging us down..." Her voice fails her and she lapses into silence.

Dolls asks simply, "Description?" trying to lead the officer through their interview as professionally as possible.

Nicole contemplates for a moment before sighing, frustrated, saying "No... Just blank space after that... ...Until the woods..." Nicole is staring off into space, suddenly lost in a rough, cracked memory. 

Attempting to bring her back in, Dolls says, softly, "So uh... What happened?"

Nicole's stare becomes intense and even more distant as she begins to recall some things. "Somebody was carrying me," she says, before breaking her stare to look up at the Marshall. "I was blindfolded. I think... Or just really drugged..." The memory of bumping against someone's back as they fireman's carried her through the woods brings with it a memory of the blistering, red hot pain that jarred through her with every step. Her gaze wanders as she feels the pain flaring through her chest again, and she's not sure if this is new pain or just a memory. She pushes it down and forces herself to breathe and continue, "Next thing I know I freezing cold, covered in dirt, in a ditch by the side of the road."

Dolls' voice, slightly frantic now, break in to her memory, "So what about Wynonna? Do you remember anything about Wynonna?"

"No... I couldn't see anything," she whispers, sort of ashamed.

Doc speaks up, "Sight ain't your only sense, Miss Haught." He gestures towards the bed and Dolls steps out of his way, as Doc approaches the bed. "What'd he smell like?" he asks.

Nicole doesn't answer immediately, her mouth hanging open slightly as she thinks. The air that escapes sounds like "Uhm..." 

Doc seeing her obvious trepidation says, "Close your eyes, take a deep breath in... Let the memories come."

Nicole does as instructed. The deep breath in smells like disinfectant, but the sharpness is familiar. "Sour..." she breathes, but sour doesn't truly describe it. “Musty...” She feels like that's not it either. 

"Like death?" Dolls utters suddenly.

"No..." Nicole whispers, and she breathes in deep again through her nose. "Spoiled fruit... And gasoline..." she admits, looking over towards Doc again. "He kicked me..." Nicole mumbles as she is being drawn into her memories again.

"What?" Dolls asks, not sure he heard her right.

"See I couldn't figure out why my chest was hurtin... He threw me down and he said... 'You're the wrong kind," she explains, feeling each kick with each breath. The burning pain she felt earlier in her chest is rising again, blurring her vision and forcing her to shudder.

Repeating the words to himself a couple of times, Dolls figures on the abductors words. "You're the wrong kind... Uh...Serial killers, they uh... Often have a type of victim that they prefer..." His voice trails off as his thoughts take over.

"And Wynonna?" Waverly says, and Nicole's heart pounds at the sound of it. The hurt and worry clearly evident. If only she could comfort the young Earp somehow, but she knows that's impossible at the moment, not just because of her injuries but because of their current company. They have something, a real connection and she feels it, but right now things are so messed up that she doesn't want to put any extra pressure on the young woman by possibly over stepping an unspoken boundary of their 'sort of' relationship; their 'sort of secret' relationship. Nicole already feels bad enough as it is, like it's her fault that they're even in this situation to begin with.

Nicole, unable to totally control her impulse, suddenly blurts out, "Waverly... I'm so sorry... I-"

Waverly cuts her off, choking on the words, "No it's fine... Just, I'm glad you're ok..." Her voice trails off as she turns and runs from the room.

Doc turns quickly to follow the young Earp, smiling a sad smile over his shoulder at the redhead. 

Nicole, absolutely distraught, inhales sharply. "Why? Why did this happen? Why couldn't I do anything to stop it? Who am I even?" Nicole breaks. Sobbing, gasping for breath, clutching at her chest. The room is spinning and squeezing in a round her and she knows what's happening, but has no energy or will to fight it. Pain rocketing higher and higher in her chest, she can't breathe. Can't see. Just can't. 

A moment later, there are hands on her trying to hold her down, but she thrashes wildly against them, tearing and clawing and fighting for dear life. The beeping is back, thundering against her ears along with her heart beat. When it stops, she exhales a sigh of relief and all goes black again. 


	13. Chapter 13

Nicole is standing in the middle of a small white walled room. The floor and walls are padded. 'Did I go crazy? Where am I?' she thinks. She blinks repeatedly, trying to reset her vision. Trying to un-see the padded white walls, the padded floor, the stark white fluorescent lights. In between one blink and the next, the whole room changes. White walls replaced with blue skies. The texture of the padding is still there, but clouds roll by in front of her. The sight is calming and freeing. She opens her eyes wider to take it all in. Catching movement in her peripheral vision, she spins on her heel and finds a tall redhead opposite her. It's not her, but it is. Older, but her.

"Hello there. I didn't expect to see any of you so soon. I think you're decades early by my count, give or take a year or five. Well, how'd you get here?" the woman asks, frankly.

Nicole is confused, but pushes through, answering the question with one of her own, "Where is here, exactly?"

"Well... It's kinda hard to explain, in words. Here is where you want it to be. Best to just show you... Note the sky," the older redhead says, gesturing to the walls. "Close your eyes and think of the ocean. Think of the horizon on the water."

As the woman is speaking, Nicole complies, imaging the one time she'd actually ever seen the ocean. The view of the Atlantic Ocean from Virginia Beach, a few days before her deployment to Afghanistan, was a breathtaking sight. The water glistened, a brilliant greenish-blue; cloudy, but still sparkling under the morning sun. Her memory is hazy, but when she opens her eyes, her memory is before her in technicolor. Every detail, every sparkle, every feeling, every smell. She breathes in the salt air deeply. It's calming and stirring at the same time.

"Try something else. Think of a person," the older 'her' says, excitedly.

Nicole closes her eyes again and the older woman gasps. The officer's eyes burst open. Waverly is everywhere. Every smile, every glance, every laugh, surrounding her, surrounding them, encompassing them in her warmth.

"What is this place?" Nicole mumbles, in complete awe of the spectacle in front of her.

"It's powerful for sure, but it's not real. Well... It is, but it's not. Real is relative. You'll see... Try to think of the last few hours, let's see what comes through," the older Nicole says, almost timidly, like she is afraid of what is to come.

Nicole focuses on one of the Waverlys... ' _Waverly Earp smiling at me from her front porch...'_ ' She closes her eyes and tries to think about what happened next... _Wynonna accusing her of having a crush on Waverly and her almost panic... And then the man_...

The older woman gasps, again, and instinctively moves to the young one's side, forcing their hands to intertwine with each other's. Right hand in left, left hand in right, they form a small circle between themselves, and they both feel the thrum, the force created between them at the completion of their circled hands. 

Nicole's memories burning through them both now, Nicole gasps and heaves and pants through it all. The dragging, kicking and screaming and the dreams... _Only they're not dreams, they're visions, memories. They're lucid, coherent, and... real.._. The younger redhead feels the pain and fear of each woman being taken; being overpowered and overwhelmed and ultimately taken. Her own memories on her abduction intermingled amongst their stories, making it all seem more and more real and yet so surreal at the same time.

Shaken to the core, Nicole shivers and the older woman shivers as well. They stand, frozen, for what seems like hours before finally the older woman breaks the silence, "That was intense... Are- are you ok?"

Nicole tries to pull herself together after the onslaught of the memories, but is obviously struggling. She wonders aloud, "What's wrong with me? Why couldn't I stop it? I'm trained to stop things like that from happening. I was powerless... I..." Her voice breaks as a deep sob wrenches itself from her throat.

The older woman wraps her into a tight embrace, whispering calming words into her ear. After a few minutes, Nicole's sobs begin to ebb. The older woman pulls herself back slightly trying to get a look at her other self's face. She catches the small bandage on the Nicole's forehead with her thumb before saying, "That'll barely leave a scar, but that one just under your ribs will be a different story."

Nicole, shocked slightly, lifts her shirt and notices a small angry looking wound, with stitches and all. She winces in pain as the stitches pull against each other when she breathes. Looking back at her older self, she exclaims, "What is that? How did I not notice that until now... It hurts, like hurts bad." 

The older woman smiles at her, and replies "Yes, I knew you were far too early. The damage has been repaired. You'll be free to leave soon, but first there are things I must tell you."

Nicole is speechless. She's running her fingers over the cut on her abdomen, before they trail off to trace the one on her forehead. She's about to lose it again when the older woman speaks. "Nicole, you have to listen, have to focus... Shallow breaths... As I said, we don't have much time. This will be hard to hear, but remember these things and think about them later... I am you. I am the ‘you’ that was, that is and could be. You have chosen to see me as older, but I have no true age. I do not age. I am just you... I know you better than... Well I was going to say you... But anyway... Semantics... You are approaching a turning point. You must choose. The roads may not be obvious, but you will have to choose. If you only remember one thing from our conversation let it be this, High risk can equal high reward..."

As she was speaking, Nicole feels herself becoming lighter and lighter. The pain in her chest and stomach easing, the pounding of her heart in her head muffling. She tries to maintain her concentration on her older self, but she just can't seem to hold on. The woman's last words echo through her mind, 'High risk can equal high reward...'

~~~

What seems like moments later, Nicole is awake, back in her hospital room, alone. She stirs and the beeping is back. It is less annoying, less irritating than it had been moments ago. Thoughts and memories hazy, she looks around and wonders if she nodded off and that's why Dolls left. She takes a deep breath or two and as she fills her lungs her stomach burns. She brushes off the sheet over her and raises her shirt. Sure enough, there's a bandage across her stomach. Memory clearing slightly, she breathes in again, it burns again and she makes a mental note, 'Shallow breaths only.' She is suddenly pulled back to her white room, and all that transpired with her other self. She tries to absorb it all. The sky, the ocean... _Waverly_... The images, the visions, the memories. It's almost overwhelming, and she takes another deep breath only to pay for it again. The beeping speeds up again and she does all she can to resist lashing out at it. Trying to think more calmly over all that's happened, she is lost in thought when footsteps break her concentration. She looks up and vaguely recognizes the man before her.

"Miss Haught... Do you remember me?" he asks, quietly.

She thinks for a moment, looking at him, before replying, "Doctor... Hub... Hubbel. Yes, I remember." Coming back to herself a bit she adds, "so... What's the good word, Doc?"

"Well, I'm not sure it's all good words, but I do have a few. Miss Haught, you sustained more critical injuries than we initially thought. We had to perform emergency surgery to repair damage to your spleen. We didn't have to remove it, thankfully, but you'll need to take it very easy for the next week or so to allow yourself time to heal. You, also, have 4 bruised ribs. No real danger there, but you'll be sore for a while there too, at least two weeks. Overall though, you are doing remarkably well. I mean... Technically, you've died twice in the last few hours, so really, breathing on your own is something to be thankful for." He looks away while he is talking, but brings his focus back to Nicole on his last words. The expression on her face tells him to keep going. "Look, Miss Haught you've been through a lot and you need to just relax. Like I said earlier today, you're in good hands. You'll probably be here for the next couple of days at least, so you might want to call someone to bring you some creature comforts from home. You'll also need someone to drive you home when you are discharged. The phone on your bedside table makes local calls only, just dial nine for an outside line." He gestures towards the phone before excusing himself, offering a smile and an obviously well practiced line, "Places to go, patients to treat."

Nicole, alone again, stares at the phone. She doesn't know who to call. She wants to dial the only number that matters, Waverly's, but she's not sure what state the young woman would be in right now. She's not even sure Wynonna has been found or not, safe or not. She decides to call Nedley instead. He's looking in on Mimir, so it's natural for her to assume he would bring her some things from home. She picks up the phone and immediately replaces the receiver. She grins foolishly at herself, thinking, 'Yeah... That's the last thing I need. Nedley in my underwear drawer.' She laughs and the pain in her abdomen spikes. She breaths shallowly again on the next breath and the pain abates, slightly. 'I mean... It's not the underwear I'm really worried about, but the other things in there... That's another story.' Now she really wishes she could just call Waverly. She would be slightly embarrassed at the things the brunette found in there, but it would be bearable because of the relationship she was trying to foster with the youngest Earp. She has hopes that Waverly would see those things one day anyway.

Finally, Nicole decides to call Nedley and ask him for Chrissy's number. Chrissy, she could trust to riffle through her drawers with probably only a few embarrassing jokes later. She picks up the phone and dials, nine then the local number. The phone rings and rings, but no one answers. She replaces the receiver again and huffs. She should have left a message. She picks up the phone again, but is interrupted by voices in the hallway. 

"Dolls, really I'm fine. I just need to see Nicole. Make sure she's ok with my own eyes. Waves said she was, but I just need to know, OK?"

A moment later, Wynonna bursts into the room, Dolls only a step or two behind. Nicole breathes a small sigh of relief at the sight of the Earp. Wynonna comes to sit on the edge of the bed, shrugging off her black leather jacket as she goes, tossing it into a chair and takes Nicole's injured hand gingerly between her own. "Nicole, I'm so glad you're ok... You are ok, right?" she asks, excitedly at first, but growing almost timid as she finishes speaking.

"Yeah, Earp. I'm ok. Some bruised ribs and a little spleen surgery. Doctor says I gotta take it easy for a while, a week or two at least, but I'm ok," the officer replies, trying to reassure herself as much as the Earp in front of her.

Dolls breaks in, "Glad to hear it, Officer Haught. I wanted to come by and say thank you for your help... We wouldn't have found Wynonna without you." His admission comes out quickly and quietly, almost reverently. 

"Yeah, Thanks Officer Haught," Wynonna says, throwing a dubious side-eyed look at Dolls. The message in the look is clear, 'Lighten up!' Wynonna turns back to the redhead and continues, "Can we get you anything?"

Nicole considers her for a moment. She's probably opening a huge can of worms by doing this, but later on she's really going to need things like clean underwear or her toothbrush and glasses. Still slightly unsure, she replies, "Uh... Yeah... I'm sorry, Dolls, but could I talk to Wynonna in private for a minute."

He smiles at her and nods, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him.

Wynonna looks excited and a little afraid. Nicole laughs lightly, before wincing. She makes another mental note, 'No laughing.' The Earp is looking down at her, eyes full of concern. Nicole takes a couple of shallow breaths trying not to anger the stitches any more than necessary. She tries to steel her nerves, but still kind of blurts out, "Can you go my place and get me some stuff?"

Wynonna gives her a puzzled, yet amused look. She was expecting something much more exciting than that. She folds her plaid clad arms across her chest and gives the redhead a disappointed look. Nicole decides maybe she should just tell the woman why she's so nervous and get it over with. "You see... I'm gonna need a toothbrush and toothpaste, probably a hairbrush too. Oh... and my glasses and contact stuff; that's Super Important. My eyes are already feeling really fuzzy and gross... And I'll need some clothes, too I guess. Clean underwear, at the least. Look, I know you've never been to my place, but I'm sure you'll just dig around until find what I need. All I ask is don't go riffling too deep into my underwear drawer. You might not... I mean, you might not be able to control yourself about it and I'm in no mood for jokes." 

Nicole's stern look and firm words only peak Wynonna's interest more, but she doesn't let on. With an easy smile she says, "Of course I can swing by your place. Though I would have thought you would ask Waverly, seeing as she's been to your place and all, but whatever..."

Nicole's heart rate picks up at the mention of the younger sibling and Wynonna notices the increase in the frequency of beeps coming from the heart monitor. Nicole tries to brush it off, looking into Wynonna puzzled eyes, saying "Pain spike... It'll pass." When her heart rate starts to return to normal she continues, "Sorry, it comes in waves," and with that poor choice in words the beeping monitor spikes again, fluttering faster than before.

Wynonna takes that as her cue to get the hell out of there. "Nicole, I've got you covered. Don't worry, I'll dig all the way to the bottom of your underwear drawer if I have to to make sure I grab all your favorite pairs," she says waggling her eyebrows, before turning to stalk out of the room. 

Nicole calls out after her, "Hey Wynonna, you'll probably need my keys. There in with my personal effects at the nurse's station, I think." She hesitates for a moment, before continuing, "And... could you send Dolls back in here a minute?"

She turns, throwing her jacket over one shoulder, and winks, offering the redhead a thumbs up in reply.

A few moments later, Dolls re-enters, puffy green jacket over one arm, with a paper coffee cup in his hand. He smiles to greet her and sits in the chair by the bed. Nicole has to steel her nerves yet again before speaking. "Marshall, look I totally understand if you don't want my help training with Wynonna anymore. My current state doesn't exactly inspire confidence I'm sure..." Her voice trails off, like she has more to say, but doesn't.

Dolls waits for a moment before saying, "Yes. I don't think it would be appropriate for you to train with us now... We'll give you at least a couple weeks to recover first." He winks at her with a little smirk and she can't help it when her mouth falls open. "Just ‘cause you got knocked down doesn't mean you won't get back up. We could still use your help when you're feeling up to it. My dad always told me 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Well, I don't know if you know this but technically, I died twice in the last 12 hours, or at least that's what the Doc told me. My memories are still a bit fuzzy," Nicole says even though that's a total lie. She remembers everything pretty vividly now, thanks to her visit with her other self, but Dolls doesn't need to know about any of that.

Dolls gives her sympathetic look before reaching his hand over to her, wrapping her injured hand delicately with his. He squeezes lightly before withdrawing. Nicole is a little put off by his attempts at comfort, as she knows he's not usually this overt. She looks in his eyes and they seem almost emotional. She guesses it's been a long day for them all.

After a quiet moment, Nicole speaks, "I'm sorry about earlier, too. I guess it all just kinda hit me at once. I haven't had an attack like that in a while. I'm sorry you had to witness it. I've been told I... I can get violent during them. I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"No. I managed to get you held down long enough for the nurses to give you a sedative. It was shortly after that they discovered you had internal bleeding and they whisked you off to an O.R. for exploratory surgery. We were pretty worried for a while there but after about four hours or so, a nurse called me to let us know you were gonna be ok."

Nicole flashes him a soft smile, before timidly saying, "Well... That's good I guess... Anyway, I need to ask you something, but I need... I need you to just hear me out... Where's Waverly? I mean...  I sort of expected her to come to visit me by now."

Dolls stiffens slightly. Nicole knows he knows about her feelings for the little Earp, but he doesn't know about Waverly's feelings... _Hell, I don't know much about Waverly's feelings either, but what can you do?_... Nicole nervously continues, "Look... I know this is probably the last thing you wanna be talking ‘bout right now, but I kinda need to know if she's ok... And I can't exactly ask Wynonna right now... Without raising suspicions anyway."

Dolls sits quietly for a moment or two before finally responding, "I haven't seen her in an hour or so, but last I saw she was at the station in the BBD. She seemed ok... She hurt her arm last night, so she's a little down about that, but otherwise I would say she's ok, but if you really wanna know you need to talk to her. I can only give you my opinion and speculation and I don't really do speculation that well so..." He breaks off, unsure what else to say.

Nicole gives him that soft smile again, complete with dimples and thanks him. She reaches out for his hand and he accepts, grasping it for a moment before squeezing it again and letting it go. "Get some rest, Officer Haught. I'm heading to the station for a while. If Waverly is still there, I'll tell her you were asking about her."

"Thanks, Dolls. Could you send a nurse in on your way out? I think I'm ready for some pain meds," she says, wincing as she takes a too deep breath.

"Sure thing, get some rest," and Dolls makes his exit.

The nurse of the hour comes in, checks her I.V. Nicole notices it's just saline now and is relieved. The nurse does her best to make Nicole comfortable, before turning back to the I.V. and begins to insert a syringe into her I.V. line. Nicole is suddenly very nervous and she reaches over to stop the nurse with her injured hand. The nurse looks down into her eyes and says, "It's ok hun, just a little morphine to knock you out. You'll be fine, we'll keep an eye on you... Don't worry, relax." Nicole pulls her hand away and the nurse pushes the plunger. A few moments later, Nicole feels the cold liquid enter her veins and she snuggles up under the meager coverings in the bed. The next thing Nicole knows the nurse is patting her forearm, leaning to whisper, "Relax... Sleep. We'll be here when you wake up."


	14. Chapter 14

She wakes slightly disoriented and she glances at the clock, two in the morning. She looks around and notices someone has been in her room. There's an extra blanket draped over her and there are fresh flowers in a small vase on the table by the bed. She immediately turns to them, fighting through a wince, and looks them over to see if there is card. She is disappointed to find there isn't one. The flowers are beautiful, though. She can identify a few of the flowers in the bunch, but most are a mystery to her. They smell amazing, sweet and floral. It isn't until she takes a second breath in with her head buried in the flowers she smells a familiar scent from her childhood. The delicate scent of honeysuckle has always been one of her favorite smells and now that she's detected it in the bouquet it's all she can smell. She is both happy and sad about the memories that smell brings up and Nicole attempts to distract herself with thoughts of who had brought her such a gift. She hopes against hope that it was Waverly, but wouldn't Waverly have woken her up, or maybe... waited for her to wake up? Wouldn't she want to be here when Nicole woke up?... _Maybe she just doesn't feel the same as you do... Maybe Waverly desn't care for you like you think she does_... _Maybe she blames you for what happened_... _And... Maybe you deserve it_... Waverly's absence from her sick bed is so painful, it's like a void is opening wider and wider in her chest. Choking back a sudden sob, she winces again at the pain in her chest. She suddenly wonders how long it has been since she had some pain medicine. Maybe she could blame the pain on her injuries instead of her breaking heart. 

She pages to the nurses station, asking if she's allowed more pain meds at this time and with a brief hold, the nurse on the line confirms she is due for some morphine if the redhead feels she needs it. Nicole debates with herself for a moment before asking the nurse to bring her the meds. A few minutes later, the nurse arrives, swaps out her mostly spent I.V. bag for a new one and then injects the morphine into the I.V. line. Nicole curls up again, warmer this time, thanks to the new blanket. She calls out to the nurse, who's on her way out, "Thanks for the extra blanket, by the way."

The nurse gives her a puzzled look before replying, "We don't have blankets like that here. I think I saw Waverly Earp dip in here a while ago, while you were sleeping. Guess, maybe she thought you might be cold." The nurse shrugs lightly and then shuffles out of the room, leaving Nicole reeling from the revelation that Waverly had been here, but hadn't woken her up... _hadn't stayed_... hadn't even left her a note.

Nicole feels herself spiraling and struggles to maintain her composure. She's breathing heavy again and the heart monitor is beeping faster and faster. She begins counting her heartbeats, timing her breaths as best she can with the beats, like she had countless times before, doing everything she could to stave off another panic attack. After several minutes, Nicole feels like the crisis has been averted for now, so she slumps a little further in the bed and lets the morphine wipe her out.

~~~

Nicole is awoken the next morning by none other than one Wynonna Earp. She tries to sit up a bit when she realizes how awkward her sleeping position had been. Sore and muscles tight, she stretches slightly wincing at the pulling of her stitches and her bruised ribs. She notices her small black academy duffel bag draped over Wynonna's leather bound shoulder. She smiles and says, "Thanks for bringing me this stuff. I really, really need to take my contacts out. Could you fish out the contact case and my glasses for me?"

Wynonna smiles back and complies. She hands the items to Nicole and watches as the redhead peels her contacts out of her eyes and places her glasses on her face. Wynonna laughs a little and Nicole looks away embarrassed. Wynonna only laughs harder before choking out, "Oh come on, Nicole. Don't be shy. You look like a Haught librarian in those things."

Nicole blushes and looks back up at Wynonna. The Earp blushes back, but continues, "Although you're more like a naughty librarian with what I found in your underwear drawer. I mean... Really? You know that the last thing you should have done was tell me not to look... because that only made me want to look that mich more. You know the whole 'wanting what you can't have' thing. You shouldn't be embarrassed though... We all have to get there on our own horsepower every once in a while," Wynonna laughs hard as she says this. Nicole obviously doesn't get the joke like Wynonna does, but that doesn't stop the Earp from laughing even harder when she catches the confused look on the redhead's face. 

Nicole's skin flushes all at once when she finally gets it and she scrambles internally, desperately trying to regain some of her natural confidence as she says, "Look Wynonna, it's not really that big a deal right... Dating options in this town... Well, are pretty limited, especially for me, you know... so yeah, my own horse power would be an apt description as to why I have some of those things. So... how deep did you dig, anyway?"  

Wynonna laughs again, but this time it's devious. She stage whispers her next words, apparently for dramatic effect. "Wouldn't you like to know?!" She wiggles her eyebrows at the redhead before continuing, "You know it's funny... Waverly said the same thing about being with Champ."

"What?" Nicole exclaims, heart rate rising. 

"The limited dating options bit, not the horsepower bit... Although that wouldn't surprise me either. Champ is a chump after all," Wynonna reasons, and adopts a slightly disgusted look on her face as she speaks. A slight shiver runs through her, and Nicole knows what she's picturing. The very thing that had made Nicole shiver herself several times, the image of Waverly with Champ, like 'with' Champ. 

About that time, a female intern enters the room alongside Dr. Hubbel. Nicole has never seen the intern before, but that's not really anything new. When in the hospital you get used to seeing someone once and then never seeing them again. The intern announces they are there to remove Nicole's catheter and Wynonna quickly places her hand over Nicole's, squeezing it slightly before saying, "Love to stay, but that is definitely my cue to leave." She exits quickly, not turning to look back. 

The doctor and intern go on about their work and while not necessarily comfortable, removing the catheter doesn't hurt and Nicole is relieved. The intern, Danielle, stays behind after Dr. Hubbel leaves to help Nicole get out of bed and get to the bathroom. It's not until they're very close, Danielle's arm around her waist hoisting her out of bed, that Nicole notices Danielle looking at her bare legs. Nicole can't help herself but to appreciate the body in front of her as well. 'She's taller than Waverly, but not as tall as me,' Nicole thinks as she takes in the woman's long torso. Her curves aren't necessarily athletic, but not due to being out of shape either, just pleasantly round in the right places. As the woman releases the redhead into the bathroom, Nicole's gaze lingers for a moment over the intern's jet black wavy hair. Danielle tells the redhead to push the button on the wall if she has any problems or when she's ready to get back to bed. Nicole looks at her dumbly for a second and then says, "I'd actually really love to change clothes too... if that's alright." When Danielle nods, Nicole continues, "My bag is right over there. Could you hand it to me?"

She turns quickly to retrieve the bag and places the strap in Nicole's hand. She says, "Buzz if you need anything... I'm just gonna change your sheets while you're out of bed."

"Sounds good, thanks!" Nicole says before closing the bathroom door. 'What the hell?' she thinks as she leans her body against the door, 'Checking her out like that was not ok... What about Waverly, huh?' Trying to focus herself, she rummages through the duffel bag pulling out her toothbrush and toothpaste and her favorite hairbrush. She brushes her teeth and then her hair and the normalcy of the mundane actions calms the redhead immensely. She strips and takes a bit of a sponge bath in the sink, being sure to wash the important parts well, but at the same time trying not to get her stitches wet. It's not easy and she feels both exhausted and relieved by the effort. She slides on a clean pair of boy-shorts and a racerback sports bra. The bra takes a bit of finagling because of her stitches and bruised ribs. She normally uses the tightest hook in the back, but her bruised ribs just won't allow it. She struggles with her tank top too, having to stretch her arms out wider to get it over her head and the pain that hitches in her chest is blistering for just a second, but just as quickly as it spiked it slacks off. She gasps as the pain peaks, but does her best to breathe through it and after a minute or two of achy labored breaths, she slides on the pair pajama bottoms that Wynonna had thought to throw in the bag. She thinks to herself that she'll have to find some way to thank Wynonna properly for thinking of the pj's. They are definitely a life saver right now, because otherwise she'd had to put the scratchy scrubs that had been left out for her in the bathroom. 

Feeling more like herself again, she hobbles out of the bathroom to find Danielle turning down the covers on the bed, trying to make it look inviting. She smiles when she sees the redhead and moves quickly across the room to help the injured officer back in to bed. Once under the covers, Danielle tucks her in and says, "How are you feeling? About ready for some pain meds?"

It only takes moment of hesitation for Nicole to decline. She knows the draw of narcotic pain killers all too well and refuses to let herself slip back into old habits. She knows there was a time when she craved the relief that pain killers could bring and never wanted to end up back there again, no matter what kind of pain life brought her. She does ask for something non-narcotic and Danielle says, "How about some Tylenol PM? You're body still needs rest..."

Nicole accepts and after a few moments, Danielle is back with a couple of pills and some water and a covered tray. "You might wanna try to eat too... It's probably been a while, so eat slow," the intern says before turning to exit again. She looks back over her shoulder and winks as she says, "Remember buzz if you need anything..." 

Nicole cocks her head to the side and thinks, 'Is she flirting with me?... God, what have you gotten yourself into now.' Nicole picks at the food for a few minutes before she just takes the pills Danielle had brought her, deciding they would probably be more effective with little on her stomach. The Tylenol PM isn't as good as the morphine, but it does knock the edge of the pain in her chest and belly enough to let her drift back to sleep.

~~~

She's awoken a few hours later by movement in the room. It's still light out so Nicole knows it's not too late in the day, but without her glasses she really can't 'see' much, just colors and blobs. She reaches around searching for her glasses. She's pretty sure she fell asleep with them on so they should be in the bed somewhere. The figure in the room moves closer and says, "Good afternoon, sleepyhead... You looking for these?" A small, but firm hand grabs her wrist and her glasses are pushed into her hand. She adjusts the ear pieces out and slides them on. Danielle is looking down at her, with a soft smile and a sparkle in her eye.

Nicole mutters, "Thanks," and then more to herself than the fresh faced intern in the room. "I could've sworn I fell asleep with those on though. How'd they end up so far away?"

"Oh... I kinda pulled them off of you when I came in about an hour ago to check on you. Didn't want them to get broken..." Danielle says, looking away, trying to hide her blush.

Nicole ponders for a moment, thinking of maybe just letting the intern's shyness go, but figures she needs to know if this young woman is actually flirting with her or not, so she can put a stop to it. Things with Waverly may be weird right now, but she knows that there's something there if she can just be patient. Steeling her nerve, she asks, bluntly, "Are you flirting with me?"

Obviously flustered by the question the young intern replies, "Maybe... Would that be such a bad thing if I was?" She drifts her eyes back up to Nicole's gaze and they are smoldering. Nicole is taken aback by the extreme change in Danielle's demeanor. The blush long gone, she smirks and takes a step forward to where her hips are resting against the side of the bed. Nicole looks down and realizes the girls hand is still wrapped around her wrist. Danielle's thumb starts to make delicate little circles against the inside of her wrist. 

While flattered, Nicole shakes her head a little and tugs her arm slightly down in an attempt to break the contact. Too bad for her that Danielle takes it as an invitation and slides her hand into Nicole's grasp. Holding hands now, in earnest, Nicole gets a puzzled look on her face as she hears the door to her room swing open. From the door, she hears, "What the shit is this?"

Her puzzled confusion snaps and her head snaps around with it. There is Waverly, standing in the door way, fists clenching and breathing heavy.

Nicole desperately pulls her hand away. Danielle releases her reluctantly, but when she notices the pained expression on the redhead’s face she immediately looks down, clearly embarrassed. She says, "Oh god... Sorry... I should go..." as she breaks for the exit. She rushes past Waverly, whose giving her a scathing look. 

Nicole takes in a shaky breath before saying, "Waves-"

Waverly cuts her off, exclaiming, "Don't Waves me, Nicole. What the shit was that?" 

Nicole looks hurt and shocked by the brunette's sharp words. Waverly is looking at her expectantly, tapping her foot against the floor... _Seriously, she's tapping her foot at me_... The redhead tries to order her thoughts before she finally speaks, "Waverly... That was nothing. Danielle... Well, yes, she was flirting with me... She- she had taken my glasses off while I was sleeping and I woke up when she came in to check on me. She handed me my glasses. I wasn't sure whether she was just being nice or not... So I uh... I asked her flat out if she was flirting with me. Hand holding was her response, not mine... I uh- I mean really, I was just a bout to let her down easy. I mean, my heart kinda belongs to another..." Her voice breaks and she drags in a deep breath. The pain in her chest flares hot and she tries to let the breath out evenly, as she winces through the pain.

Waverly is quick to respond to the pain she sees in Nicole's face, rushing to her side to take the redhead's hand to comfort her. Nicole's eyes settle on their entwined fingers and she takes another breath, shallower but definitely steadier. There's something off about the way Nicole is looking at their hands, it looks a lot like guilt, and Waverly senses it, quickly withdrawing her hand. Nicole feels suddenly heavy from the loss of Waverly's warm hand in hers and she looks up searching Waverly's face for what she had done to cause such a withdrawal from the brunette. Waverly opens her mouth to speak, but closes it a moment later. Nicole's eyes are pleading and she lets out a sigh. 'How have things gotten so awkward so quickly between the two of us?... Had seeing Danielle's interest really upset Waverly that much? Or is there something else?' Nicole lets the silence go on for a moment or two longer before she decides to speak first, "Waves, I'm not interested in her. I've only got eyes for one woman in this town and that's you. How could you doubt that?"

"Nicole, I... It's not... I mean, I get it... You're Haught, right?" She laughs a little uncomfortable laugh. It's obvious she's trying to break the tension between them, but Nicole's demeanor doesn't change, and so she continues, "But I'm having trouble with all this. I mean you died... Like twice... I'm not sure I could handle it if- if something happened... And Wynonna... I'm just really, like, a total wreck right now and I hate to admit this but it... It just seems like this hill we're climbing is just really steep, especially when now I'm not sure it's me you even want." Nicole starts to object, but Waverly cuts her off, "Look, I mean... I saw the way that girl was looking at you. I saw the way you were looking at her. Maybe you'd be better off with her. Better off without my curse of a life ruining yours... Better safe than sorry, right... Sorr-" It's Waverly's turn for her voice to break and a tear rolls down her face. She sniffs once and turns and bolts from the room.

Nicole is left gasping on the bed, mind spinning out of control. A minute or two later, Danielle re-enters the room and slips up to the bed next to Nicole as quiet as possible. Nicole's wracking sob is the only thing breaking the silence. Danielle takes her hand again, this time instead of interlacing their fingers, she cups the redhead's hand with her own. A plutonic hand holding, if there is such a thing. Nicole's sobs slow and she begins to catch her breath. Danielle is looking down at her with a mix of compassion and guilt and whispers, "So I guess I really stepped in it there, didn't I?" She lets out a long sigh and Nicole takes her free hand and wipes the single tear that escapes from the intern's eye.

"Hey... It's ok. I uh... I guess I was kinda hoping to just let you down easy, but nothing in my life seems to be easy these days... I guess I shouldn't be surprised," She pauses for a moment and then adds, "Sorry, but I'm kinda involved with someone." It's a soft statement, but she finds herself wondering how she went from comforted to comforter so quickly.

"Yeah... I kinda figured that one out. So I guess I'll just say, if that doesn't work out... You should call me," Danielle says, softly. Nicole can tell she's trying not to be obvious about how attracted she is to her as she slips her free hand into her lab coat pocket and pulls out a business card. She slides it on the side table and then glances back to the redhead. She hesitates to remove her hand from Nicole's, but when she does she sighs again. 

Nicole knows she's not really interested in this woman, but the attention is nice, restoring some of her waning confidence. She smiles a little at Danielle and the intern smiles back. "I'll be sure to do just that," Nicole says trying to keep her tone sort of neutral, slipping only a little warmth in her voice.

Danielle seems a bit sad, but shakes it off, saying, "Well... In the meantime, can I get you some dinner? I know the food here isn't great... You didn't eat much of your lunch. So I thought I could sneak something in from outside for you if you've got a craving for something."

Nicole considers for a moment. The thought of some comfort food is so enticing, but she doesn't want to ask this woman to take time to go out and get her food. It seems too intimate, too close. Too much like what a girlfriend would do. "Really, whatever they're serving here is fine. I'm not really that hungry, any-" Nicole's lie is quickly revealed when her stomach growls loudly.

Danielle just laughs and says, "Chinese or pizza? Either place will deliver, so you won't have to feel guilty about me taking time out of my obviously busy schedule to get it for you. I'll just have to run down to get it from the front desk." Nicole is bewildered by how easily the young woman reads her. She contemplates continuing to refuse when Danielle continues, "Look, Nicole I get it. You're totally into that girl that was just here. I'm just trying to be nice... Trying to make up for causing you problems. There are no expectations here ‘til you tell me otherwise."

Nicole's puzzled face softens and she replies, "Well, in that case I'd kill for some chicken and broccoli." She laughs briefly before the pain comes back, this time the stitches are stinging as they strain against her skin. "Ugh... When are these stitches coming out again?"

Danielle laughs a little too and chokes out her response, "That'll be probably a week, maybe a week and a half before those bad boys can come out. Just try to relax and I'll be back with some food in a bit." She turns quickly and disappears out the door. 

Nicole slumps down into the bed. She thinks, 'Fuck what am I gonna do? We were just starting to get there and now where are we?' She decides she's not going to give up though. She's just gotta figure out how to get Waverly to talk to her. She shuffles up in the bed and struggles to get her feet off the side. She slides down the side of the bed with a huff and she barely keeps her feet under her. She manages though and slowly hobbles out of her room into the hall and over to the nurse's desk. It feels good to be up and moving around, but her good feelings collapse when a rough voice says, "What the hell are you doing out of bed?"


	15. Chapter 15

Nicole turns her head to find a very official looking, very peeved Sheriff Nedley staring her up and down.

Utterly speechless, she just gapes at him while she steadies herself against the nurse's desk.

"Well, Haught? You got an answer for me?" Nedley rumbles, voice deep and bristly.

"Sir I... I just wanted to get my phone... It's in the bag with my personal effects," Nicole stammers, as she nods her head toward the nurse that is across the nurse’s station helping another patient.

Nedley quickly closes the distance to the desk, and puts a hand on her shoulder, "Well, you didn't have to get out of bed for it. Don't you have a call button in your room?" he asks, rough demeanor melting slightly.

"I mean, yes I do but I thought that was more for official business, like emergencies only, like police radios?" Nicole replies sheepishly.

Nedley brushes a hand over his moustache, obviously seriously considering her words before saying, "Nicole, I'm sure they would have brought you your phone. It's not like you're in ICU or something." His words hang between them for a moment, both remembering Nicole's recent emergency surgery. Nedley shakes off the worried memories first. "You should get back to bed. I'll get your phone for you... You uh, need help?" he says as he gestures towards her room.

Nicole shakes her head a little and begins her slow shuffle back to her room. She's just settling back into bed when Nedley comes in, phone in hand. He offers it to Nicole and she immediately clicks the home phone to check for messages. A missed call from her mom and one from one of her sisters, a couple of missed texts from the other sister and several new emails, all junk. She skims though the texts from Liz and replies, trying to reassure her sister that she is ok and that she doesn't need to fly the 2000 or more miles just to see that Nicole's ok. She'll to call her mom and Hayley later. She turns her eyes away from the phone just to catch a yawn coming from Nedley. "Oh. Sorry Sheriff, just needed to send a quick text to my sister. She's pretty worried I guess. What exactly did you guys tell my family?" Nicole asks, frankly.

"Well, I was the one to call your mom. I told her that you had been involved in an incident on the job and that you were pretty bruised up, but mostly no worse for wear. She all but forced me to hand her off to one of your doctors. He didn't seem happy when I shoved my cell into his hand," Nedley replies.

"Yeah, mom was an ER nurse for a while. She can be pretty intense. I'm sorry if she offended you... She can curse like a sailor when she's angry," Nicole admits.

Nedley smiles wide and says, "Actually it's probably your Doc you should apologize to. She had him on the phone almost 20 minutes yesterday after your surgery."

Nicole opens her mouth to speak, but Nedley beats her to it, saying rather bluntly, "Well I know you've got plenty on your mind right now, but I thought you should know they're probably gonna be releasing Champ Hardy tomorrow. His arraignment's tomorrow morning and I can't imagine they'll remand him until trial, if it even comes to that. I heard from the district attorney's office this morning and it seems Champ's looking to take a deal. I guess his dad letting him stew in county jail a few days did a number for his ego. He'll probably end up with a year or two's probation and some community service and a fine, of course. I think they're gonna try to include some mandatory AA because he was drunk when he, you know... when it happened."

Nicole sits quietly and listens as Nedley talks. She can feel a heat rising in her chest, but she can't nail down the feelings causing it. Maybe it’s a little bit fear or a little bit disappointment or a little bit angry or a combination of all three, she's not sure, exactly. Maybe fear because she's not really in the best condition to be defending herself, disappointment because the legal system is supposed to uphold the law and punish the rule breakers and anger because she can't go to the arraignment to testify.  None of that, however, is Nedley's fault, and when she realizes she's giving him her best 'go to hell' look, she looks away guilty and embarrassed.

Nedley crosses to her and put his hand on her shoulder again. "It's ok kid. We all get disappointed in the system sometimes and I'm sure your current physical state doesn't help with the idea of him being released, either. I could shift the schedule around to have somebody here ‘til you're discharged if you want," he says, voice full of sympathy.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, Sir. I can't imagine I'll be his first stop and I'll hopefully be going home day after tomorrow. No reason to waste the taxpayers money sending somebody to sit with me," she says.

"Ok, Haught. But you start feeling squirrelly tomorrow afternoon, call and I'll come by when my shift is over and bring you dinner. I know the food here is awful," Nedley responds and he turns to leave. At the door he stops and turns back, "Just so you know that cat of yours is the devil. I couldn't even get in the door without getting attacked. I sent Chrissy over there to feed it today. I'm still trying to recover from yesterday. Hope that's ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I told you she didn't like men," Nicole says, with a proud smirk.

Nedley just nods and leaves the room.

Nicole alone again, lifts her phone up and opens the messaging app. Her finger hovers over Waverly's contact before selecting it and typing out quick message... Waves? Please come back?... She reads it and immediately deletes it... _Too desperate_... She tries again...  Waverly? Will you give me a chance to explain?... Before she can second guess herself again she hits the send button. She slumps back in the bed, wracking her brain of what to say if Waverly does let her explain. How does she express her feelings without scaring the young woman off? How does she tell this woman she's only known for a couple months that she's been in love with her since the moment they met? How does she even breathe when Waverly's not with her? She decides she has to fix this no matter what it takes. She just has to wait, just has to keep playing along. She knows how she feels and at the earliest opportunity she has to tell Waves just how she feels. Life's too short to not tell her.

She settles into the bed to wait, either for Waverly to text back or not. She doesn't have too wait long for someone to enter the room though, as Danielle comes in with a delicious smelling brown paper bag. The intern sets the bag down on the side table and wheels it over to Nicole in the bed. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asks.

Nicole deadpans, "Three fingers of whiskey, neat?"

Danielle giggles and goes over to the counter by the sink and fills a plastic cup from the water pitcher that's sitting there. "How about some water, stud?" She winks at Nicole and smiles a coy, little smile. Nicole looks at her with an incredulous expression and Danielle laughs, again. "Oh come on, 'Three fingers of whiskey, neat?' That screams butch. I mean... you're a cop for Christ's sake. Calling you stud should be a compliment."

Nicole is speechless again for a moment, and she wonders if being kidnapped and beaten up hadn't affected her brain in some way. She scrambles to reply, "I... Uh... I guess it is. I just I- I'm just not used to it, I guess. The compliments, I mean. By the way, I'm usually a lot smoother than this. I uh... I think maybe my brain is swelling or something. I can barely string two words together right now."

"Yeah, you- smooth. I never would have guessed," Danielle says, as she snickers, tone thick with sarcasm. She inhales quickly and blurts out, "Listen, I'm gonna let you eat in peace... I just wanted you to know I'm getting off in about a half hour. You want me to come back and hang out? Keep you company 'til bedtime?"

"I... I'd love the company, but I'm not sure that's the best idea. I'm kinda hoping my... uh... friend... will come back, so we can talk. Like I said earlier, we're kinda... I mean, I don't really know what we are, but I gotta see where it goes, you know," Nicole says, looking away a little shy and flustered.

"I get it... Well you've got my number if you change your mind. Have a good night, Officer Haught." Danielle smiles briefly before turning quickly and hustles out the door.

Nicole's head dips back onto the pillow and she laughs as she thinks, 'Did she just call me a stud? Holy shit.' Nicole had always considered herself kind of androgynous. Her job, or her clothes, or her love of her truck, really her love of all things with a motor, or just the simple fact she likes to work with her hands had always gotten her labeled ‘butch’ and that's all fine she guesses, but she'd never felt masculine really. She had decided long ago to just be Nicole and screw the labels, but Danielle's words had made an impression none the less. 

The truth is Nicole likes it. She likes the powerful feeling that swirls inside her from being called a stud. She's never really embraced it before, but hearing those words from a total stranger, a total stranger who had just been shamelessly hitting on her, had opened some door in her she'd never even thought about opening before. 

She checks her phone and realizes it's too late to call Liz for advice, so she dials Hayley's number instead. She wouldn't get much in the way of advice from her much younger sister, but it would feel good just to hear her voice. Hayley picks up on the third ring, "It's 'bout damn time you called me, 'Cole. You tryin to worry us to death, sweetheart?"

Nicole dryly replies, "Well, hello to you too Hayley. It's so good to talk to you, too."

"Yeah, yeah... How you feelin, hun?" Hayley drawls. 

Nicole normally would have laughed at Hayley's ridiculously thick Texas accent, but she knows that's not the best idea right now. Hayley's already mad, no reason to poke the bear. Instead she says, "I'm ok..." Hayley huffs into the phone and Nicole continues quickly, "No really... I'm ok. I'm sore and bruised and a little cut up but the Doc says I can go home day after tomorrow and that I'll be back to work before I know it." The last bit is an exaggeration, but Hayley doesn't need to know that.

"Cole, do you need me to come up there and help you get home? I can catch the next flight, you just say the word," Hayley pleads.

Nicole debates the pros and cons of having her sister come to take care of her. She didn't even consider it when Liz asked. Liz is a great person and a wonderful woman, but she's not the most compassionate. Hayley, on the other hand, is sweet to a fault and Nicole knows she would gratefully drop everything to come to her sister's aid. A bit of guilt twitches through Nicole when she thinks maybe she'll accept Hayley's offer. The con side of her internal argument is that Hayley would have to close her coffee shop for however long she stays with Nicole. Hayley had put her heart and soul, along with thousands of dollars’ worth of small business loans, into her little business and the youngest Haught didn't have the money to hire a manager who could take over running the business. She did have a couple of employees, but they were college kids who had lives of their own. Finally Nicole says, "That's really not necessary Hayley. I've already got somebody lined up to take me home." Lie. "And I'm all set for food at home." Lie. "And I've got friends and co-workers who'll come and check on me and hang out with me when I get bored." Well, maybe that one’s not a total lie. "Plus if you come up here you'll have to close to shop. You can't really afford that can you?"

"Cole? Really? This isn't about money. This is about you and your wellbeing. What kind of sister would I be if I just ignored you at a time like this?" Hayley asks, her tone harsh.

Nicole laughs a little at the tone, but quickly collects herself when she hears Hayley all but growl into the phone. "Hayley... You don't have to come here. I am fine. I have a little support system here and I'm making new friends every day. One of the interns at the hospital already gave me her number. I didn't even ask for it. She... she was kind of shamelessly flirting with me too... She... uh... kinda screwed things big time for me with Waverly though."

"What? How'd that happen?" Hayley exclaims.

Nicole takes a notedly shallow breath and then explains the whole situation, with as much detail as she can remember all while munching away at her Chinese food. More than once Hayley has to ask her to repeat herself. Nicole just laughs a little, chews, and swallows before repeating herself with a small sorry each time. 

When Nicole tells her what Waverly had said, quoting her, 'Maybe you'd be better off with her… Better off without my curse of a life ruining yours... Better safe than sorry...' Hayley lets out another little huff, her tell for being confused or agitated. Nicole's drawn out of her memories from the evening by the sound and says, "What?"

"Well... It's just the way she said it. Her curse of a life. Why'd she say that? I thought she was mad about you flirting with the intern," Hayley replies.

"First off, I was not flirting with her. I was really just trying to find a way to brooch the Waverly subject with her when Waves busted in on us. And second... Why didn't I pick up on that at the time? I mean, I heard her say it but I thought it was just more metaphor." Nicole pauses for a moment and thinks back to what she knows about the Earp family. They had seen more than their fair share of tragedy. Maybe Waverly thought that Nicole would leave her, either willingly or not and that she had pushed Nicole away because of the fear of getting hurt. That made more sense than Waverly being jealous. Struck by that, she shouts, "Hayley, you are a genius. She's just scared. She'll run and I just have to be here when she settles down. I've just got to keep playing along, keep waiting. I can do that, right?"

Hayley laugh huskily into the phone and after she calms down a bit she says, "Wow, sis. You?... _You_ willing to wait on a girl? She must really be something."

"Hayley, truth is I've been waiting since the day we met and I'd probably wait forever for her if it came to that. She's so beautiful and smart and funny and polite and sweet and just- just perfect. I can't imagine not doing everything I can to be whatever she needs me to be," Nicole says, only to blurt out a few seconds later, "I'm totally in love with her. I've just gotta wait to tell her ‘til she's ready to hear it. I had talked myself into to blurting it out at her the next time I see her, but that seems really stupid now. It would definitely scare her off."

"Well, you certainly seem to be a Haught commodity up there. I wish you the best of luck with that particular shituation. You know I want nothing but the best for you right?" Hayley asks, laughing at her own Haught pun.

"Jesus, Hayley. I get that shit from everybody else, I gotta git it from you, too?" Nicole drawls, aware that just being on the phone with family always does that her. The accent just kind of seeps back into her vocal chords whenever she's in contact with them.

Hayley laughs again, harder this time and it takes her twice as long to get herself together to reply. When she finally does she says, “Oh come on... That was a good one. You can't deny that."

"Yeah, yeah kiddo... Just don't quit your day job, huh?" Nicole says.

"Hey! Don't call me kiddo. I'm 21 now. I'm definitely not a just a kid anymore," Hayley protests.

"Hate to break it to you, _kiddo_ ," Nicole says, emphasizing the pet name, "but you'll always be my kid sister, so its always gonna fit."

Hayley scoffs, but it’s light hearted. "Yeah, well you just remember that when you're old and grey, I'll still be younger than you."

Nicole laughs a little at that. She smiles at their easy banter. They hadn't always been this close. The eight year age gap between them had made it difficult to relate sometimes, but now that Hayley was out in the world, she was growing up. She and Nicole we're finding new ways to relate with every text or phone call.

The brief silence from both sides of the phone signals the ending of their conversation nearing. Hayley is the first to speak. "Cole, seriously if you need anything you call me and I'll drop whatever to come help you. Sisters come first, right?"

"Yeah, definitely. Thanks for listening Hayley. I'll call you in a couple days and let you know how I'm getting along, ok?" Nicole asks.

"Sounds good to me. Take care of yourself," the youngest Haught says.

"Will do. You too?" the officer asks.

"Will do," Hayley confirms.

They say their goodbyes and hang up.

Nicole feels the best she's felt all day after talking to her sister. She grumbles when she realizes she still has time to call her mom before it gets too late.

She dials the number and hopes the call will go to voicemail. After four rings, Nicole feels like she might get her wish, when her mother's dry raspy voice breaks the silence in between rings. "I was wondering if you were gonna call me today. Doctor Hubbel says you're doing really well. I trust they're treatin' you good."

"Yes, momma. I feel like I'm in great hands. Everyone has been nothing but supportive. My boss even came by to check on me, today. I'm mobile, but I'm sore. Which I guess that makes sense with four bruised ribs. I haven't had any narcotic pain killers since early this morning though, so I'm feeling really good about that," Nicole admits, knowing her mother will know what she means.

"I'm very proud of you. Something you're father was always trying to teach you girls when you were little was to know your limits, but to let not yourself get comfortable with them. He'd be proud of you... Anyway, the Sheriff wouldn't give me any details about what happened to you. He just gave me some lame line about an incident," Nicole's mom, Judy, complains.

Nicole isn't sure what the official line will be but she tries to lie as little as possible. "I got beat up, mom. Took me by surprise and I got beat, plain and simple." 

"Ok... Sure... Just a plain and simple beating... Anything like that time you got beat up in high school?" Judy asks, frankly.

"No, momma, I didn't get jumped by three guys in a parking lot. I was on the job. I was trying to protect a civilian... Well, actually she's not a civilian. She's a deputy under this government task force that's working some cases in the area. We're technically co-workers, I guess... Anyway, we were on our way to breakfast when we got carjacked. She's fine too, in case you were wondering." Nicole is suddenly taken by how not injured Wynonna is, not a bruise or broken bone. She is overwhelmed by what she imagines could have and probably was much worse for Wynonna. Sometimes the mental wounds were harder to heal than the physical.

Nicole realizes she missed something because she hears her mom saying, "So... You were on your way to breakfast, huh? You having sleep overs with this Wynonna?"

Nicole chokes and blurts out, "God, Mom... No... I'm not having sleepovers with anyone, ok? Plus Wynonna, no... But she does have this sister, Waverly... and yeah... I'd like to change the subject now."

Judy chuckles, "I'm not sure why you're embarrassed, hunny. You know I'm trying to be... to be ok with you being a... a lesbian. I just- I want you to be happy and healthy. I wish we talked more often. I feel so disconnected with you being so far away."

"Momma... This isn't even the furthest I've been away from you. It's not even close to the longest we've ever gone without talking. I just called you couple weeks ago and we talked for like two hours," Nicole whines.

"Yes you did, but not once did you mention this Waverly... What changed?" Judy asks, a little trepidation in her voice.

Nicole can tell that her mom is trying and she appreciates it. She sighs and replies, "She... uh... She broke up with her boyfriend..." The words hang in the air for a moment before Judy lets out a 'humpf' noise. Nicole knows her mom doesn't get it so she explains, "I think Waverly is bisexual and she didn't know it ‘til she met me. We haven't really talked about it, in detail. We're mostly just enjoying each other's company and seeing where it goes."

"Well... That's sounds like a solid plan. That's really all relationships boil down to, enjoying each other and seeing where it goes. I'm glad you've been making friends," Judy says, sort of naively.

"Look mom, I know I called you but I've gotta cut this short. I'm exhausted and I just finished a pint of chicken and broccoli and a pint of white rice." Nicole yawns and then says, "Yeah, I'm definitely ready for a nap. Can I call you later?"

"Of course, hunny. Just don't forget about your old mom. I love you, pumpkin," Judy says, sweetly.

Nicole winces at the pet name, remembering how the kids in her elementary school used to use it more like a slur than a term of endearment. She pushes those memories from her and says, as sincerely as she can, "Thanks momma. I love you too... I'll call you later this week, I promise."

They say their goodbyes and Nicole sighs a deep sigh of relief when she ends the call. Talking to her mother about her sexuality and her relationships had always been strained, but today it seemed like her mom is finally starting to get it. Being a lesbian isn't a phase, it's not for attention, it's just part of who she is and Nicole is very glad her mom is starting to get it together and just accept it. 

Nicole considers some more Tylenol PM to help get some sleep and after a few minutes of trying to sleep on her own she buzzes the nurses station and asks if they'll bring her some. A few minutes later a new nurse enters and offers her the pills while eyeing the empty Chinese food containers. Nicole gives her a sheepish and guilty smile before asking the nurse to throw them away for her. The nurse complies with a sour look on her face and exits the room quickly.

Nicole lays back down in the bed and after about 20 minutes of chasing away her random thoughts, Nicole slips off into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

When Nicole wakes she slips on her glasses and immediately checks her phone. No new messages. She decides she has to do something, has to reach out, again. Her only apparent course of action at the moment is to call the youngest Earp and after three rings it goes to voicemail. She knows that Waverly declined the call. She doesn't leave a message. Maybe she is pushing too much. Maybe she shouldn't have called. Well, it's over now and Nicole gets up and shuffles to the bathroom. 

She returns a few minutes later to find a woman standing in the middle of the room, holding a drink tray and a brown paper bag. Nicole notices the signature black leather jacket with the tassels and the black knee high fuzzy boots, and knows it's Wynonna before even seeing her face.  The Earp turns just as she's about to speak and quickly cuts her off, "I brought donuts... Though I should be honest, I ate half of them on the way here." Wynonna raises the bag and jiggles it at the officer.

"Well then, that's the half nicest thing anyone's ever done for me," Nicole says, as she laughs at the Earp's sudden guilty expression. "Really, Wynonna... That's awfully nice of you. I'd kill for a cup of coffee right now."

"It's good I brought you some of that, too. I didn't know how you take it though so it's black," Wynonna says, with a shrug.

"I don't really have a certain way I take it, and right now I'll take it however it comes," Nicole replies, reaching the bed and sliding in. Looking up at Wynonna now, she continues, "However nice this is, why are you here Wynonna?"

The Earp offers the redhead her coffee with a sad sort of smile and says, "Actually, it's about what we were supposed to be talking about Sunday morning over breakfast. I wanted to come by and apologize. I... I was really ready to read you in, but with Dolls back I just don't feel right about it now, you know? I mean, he'd totally flip if I... uh... Anyway, his bosses are trying to get more involved in our cases and well... I don't always do things by the book. He's just trying to look out of me, in his own twisted way and that makes me feel like I need to do the same for him."

When Wynonna takes a breath, Nicole cuts in, "Wynonna, really you don't have to apologize. I've been on classified missions before, back when I was in the Army. I know all about the need for secrecy and I won't push, but I really feel like I could help. I've got a good head on my shoulders and well... I used to feel like I could take care of myself... I just feel like maybe I'd be better off knowing what I'm really dealing with here."

"Like I said, I'd love to tell you but some of it isn't my story to tell. You understand, right?" Wynonna asks, slipping into the arm chair to one side of the bed.

"Yeah. I get it, doesn't mean it doesn't suck... You know, feeling like the last kid picked for the team, but I do get it..." Nicole trails off.

Wynonna looks pensive for a moment and then asks, "So... Why'd you join the Army?"

Nicole knows this question had been coming, she just didn't know when. People were always curious why she had joined the armed forces, especially because she's female. She gives Wynonna the answer she gives everyone who asks, "Well... I knew I wanted to be in the military early on. My dad served and his dad served and his dad before that. Maybe not all for the US military, but someone in the Haught family line has served their country in every generation for at least the last seven generations. Dad was an only child and I don't have any brothers so being the oldest I kinda felt like serving in the military was my responsibility, to carry on the tradition. It didn't hurt that they were gonna pay for college when I got out."

"Yeah. I know exactly how you feel there. Family legacy... Yadda yadda..." Wynonna says, with a far off look on her face, but she snaps out of it quickly, "But how'd you end up in Purgatory then?" Wynonna asks, with a puzzled expression.

Nicole's lightheartedness from the last question is suddenly gone and when Wynonna catches her expression she says, "Hey... you don't have to tell me. I just figured you'd want some company and I told you all about me the other night so I guess... I figured it's your turn."

There's nothing but silence between them for a few minutes, as Nicole tries to decide how much to reveal about herself. Finally she says, "Well, the short answer to that is I saw a job posting and I applied and I got it. The long answer is... uh... long, so I wouldn't want to bore you."

"Nicole, I got nothing but time today. Just tell me whatever you wanna tell me," Wynonna says, with a smile.

The redhead tilts her head to the side, contemplating and decides to start at the beginning and see how far she gets before she breaks. With no preamble Nicole dives in, "The day after I graduated from high school I was in the Army recruiter's office. I was accepted, obviously, and after nearly a year of training and tests and triumphs and few failures I was being shipped out for active combat duty, not front lines mind you but I was in several hot zones throughout my tour. I was the only woman in my unit and it should have made me nervous, but I had aced the basic and advanced physical training courses, scoring better than most of my peers. The emotional and mental tests during training weren't anything I couldn't mostly handle, either. I thought I was ready... I... I spent almost 18 months in Afghanistan. I was due to be shipped home in a week when it happened... I did receive a Purple Heart for my time there, but at least I came home. A couple guys in my unit didn't make it off the road that day... We were sweeping cars out in front of a hotel when all hell broke loose... I barely remember it really... Just flashes of heat and searing pain..." She shudders at how trying to remember all this brings her more recent trauma fresh to the surface. She sucks in a long, slow breath and turns gaze to a blank spot on the wall. Almost robotically she continues, "I took a hard hit to the thigh when the IED exploded, broke my femur in two places. I spent the next year recovering. I also spent most of that year addicted to pain killers... I'm not proud of it, but I'm finally starting to face it, I guess..." Her voice breaks off and Wynonna slides the chair closer and puts her hand on Nicole's shin. Comforted slightly by the gesture she continues, "I got control over that particular demon, just in time to watch my dad get taken away by the big C. He'd fought so hard, but when the doctors told him it had spread to his lymphatic system he just... just gave up... Stopped going to chemo... Just stopped..." Sucking back a sob Nicole pauses, trying to get control over herself again.

Wynonna sees the pain in the redhead's face and moves her hand up to take her hand. "Listen, Nicole, if anyone knows the pain of losing their dad, it's me. I'm sorry." 

They're quiet again and Nicole's breathing begins to slow. She's almost ready to continue when her phone buzzes. She scrambles to check the message and when she sees that it's a reply from Liz from last night her heart drops. 

If Wynonna notices the disappointment she doesn't let it show, only offering Nicole a sympathetic smile. Nicole decides to continue her story, figuring it's best to get it all out in the open while she can. "Dad's death hit me hard, but he wouldn't have wanted me to ruin my life over my grief. I was a recovering addict and my career in the military was over. I'd healed enough to pass the physical to get back to active duty, but my relationship with my physical therapist's receptionist ended with a 'Don't ask, Don't tell' Court Marshall for me and I finally realized I needed to just move on. I decided that if I couldn't serve in the Army anymore I'd become a cop and serve a community instead of my country. I got my shit together and registered for classes that fall at the local community college. I breezed through college really; good grades, great friends, life seemed normal. After two years at the community college, I transferred to The University of Texas- Austin. I got a degree in Emergency Management with a minor in music. I applied and got accepted to a police academy immediately after and when I graduated from there, I just started applying for jobs. I probably applied to 40 different positions before I found the listing for a new officer at the PPD. I only did one phone interview with Nedley before he hired me. And that's that, I guess."

"Wow Nicole... I had no idea... 'Don't ask, don't tell' huh? Didn't they overturn that like a year or two ago?" Wynonna asks.

"Yeah. I guess they figured out gays and lesbians are people too, just a little late for me. Yeah, I may be a little bitter about that still... That's one of the reasons Purgatory's job opening was so appealing. I've kinda always wanted to move to Canada, and this job gave me the perfect excuse," Nicole says, with a soft smile and a slight shrug.

"Well, Nicole. I'm really glad you shared all that with me... You seemed like you needed to get some of that off your chest, anyways," the Earp says, looking away for the first time since Nicole had started to tell her story. "Look uh... Could we not tell anyone about our little sharing sessions though? I've got somewhat of a reputation to protect in this town and I wouldn't want anybody thinking I've got soft spot for you. You'll be safer that way, trust me... Less chance to be caught in the crossfire."

"Wynonna... I get you're trying to protect me, but it’s literally my job to help you and Dolls and Waverly at the BBD. Nedley has made it abundantly clear we're to assist y'all however we can," Nicole admits, wincing when she hears the southern drawl weave through her words.

Wynonna's quiet for a moment before she says, "Just so you know, I think you'd make a good addition to our team. Just give Dolls some time and I think he'll see that too."

"Thanks, Wynonna. I don't think you're half bad either," Nicole says, with a smirk.

Wynonna answers with her own little smirk and says, "Yeah... So, I guess my ass is the good side, huh?"

Nicole chuckles and shakes her head. "I meant you... not your body. Though my earlier statement about your ass still stands."

Wynonna blushes and Nicole loses it. She laughs hard despite the pain in her ribs and after a moment or two she's gasping for air, trying to fight of the giggle fit she's lost in. Through the laughing, she chokes out, "Wynonna... Are you... Really... Blushing?"

Wynonna just shoots Nicole the bird and gets up from her chair. "I guess I might have been and then you went and ruined it... What's so funny about me blushing, huh? A beautiful lesbian compliments me... Why wouldn't I blush?"

Nicole skin flushes and she thinks, 'God... I hope Waverly never hears about this... If she was jealous of Danielle, she'd literally turn green with envy to hear me talk to her sister like this.' She finally stops her laughing and says, "Listen... in the interest of having an honest friendship with you..." She pauses, thinking 'I'm really in love with your sister' and says instead, "You're attractive and all but I uh... I'm not interested..." 

It's Wynonna's turn to laugh now and she doubles over with the force of it. Gasping she manages to spit out, "Look Haught shot... I'm only into dudes... So this," now gesturing between the two of them, "is about as plutonic as it gets."

"Ok... Good... Glad we cleared that up then," Nicole says, sheepishly.

"Good. Anyway, I should probably let you get some rest. When are they letting you out of here, anyway?" Wynonna asks, moving towards the door.

"Probably tomorrow. God, hopefully tomorrow. I don't know if I can stand to look at these walls for much longer," Nicole whines.

"Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Get some rest while you can, Nicole. Dolls said our training sessions start up just as soon as you're able... I gotta say, I'm kinda looking forward to it. With what you've told me today, I can't even imagine what it'll be like fighting you," Wynonna admits, before turning back towards the door.

"Sounds good, Earp. See ya around," Nicole says, to her back.

Wynonna calls out over her shoulder, "Yep. See ya..."

~~~

Nicole spends the rest of the day dozing on and off, watching Flashpoint reruns on TV, and texting back and forth with Liz. She feels more and more restless with every passing hour, but the monotony is only broken once when a nurse comes in to remove her I.V. She winces slightly when the tape that is holding it in place is removed. The nurse snickers and Nicole says, "What?"

The nurse gives her a little smile and says, "You've got 4 bruised ribs and several stitches in your side and you’re wincing ‘cause I pulled that tape off. Just struck me as funny, I guess." She shrugs, but offers no further explanation before she exits the room.

When dinner is delivered Nicole politely accepts it, but wishes it was a big, greasy burger and fries instead of baked chicken and creamed corn. She picks at it for a little while, but doesn't actually eat very much of it. She kind of wishes she had called Nedley and had him bring her some non-hospital food. She starts to feel guilty about that though, and quickly pushes those feelings aside. She just needs to get out of here, out of this room, out of the hospital. The blue paint on the walls is supposed to be calming but all its making Nicole feel now is depressed. She can't wait to get back to her apartment, back to her life, and then back to work. It's going to be a long week or so of waiting before she can even think of trying to convince Nedley she's ready to be back. 

Nicole is marinating in her thoughts when a voice at the door breaks her concentration. "Hey there, Haught diggity! How you holding up?"

Nicole smiles and shakes her head, "You know I've heard them all right, Chrissy?"

The blonde stops, posing in the doorway and smirks, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna try to come up with something Haught just for you," and she winks, playfully.

Nicole keeps shaking her head as she says, "You just come to throw out bad puns? Or did you have a different reason for stopping by?"

"Oh well... Dad mentioned you seemed kinda down when he was here last night when he stopped by... So I thought I'd bring you some Mimir videos to cheer you up. That's a great cat you have, totally loves me," Chrissy says, wiping out her phone. "I would have just sent them to you but I realized I didn't have your number. We should rectify that by the way. Friends should have each other's numbers, right?" 

"I mean, yeah but what were you saying about Mimir loving you... ‘Cause she doesn't even really love me. She only tolerates me ‘cause I feed her," Nicole says, taking Chrissy's phone and puts in her name and number. She calls herself with Chrissy's phone and when the unknown number pops up she ends the call and hands the blonde phone back to her.

"Oh Mimir and I are like old friends... One look at me and she was hooked. I can't explain it really. I hung around your place for a while today, I hope that's ok," Chrissy pauses, and hands her phone back to Nicole. "Just push play... That's from yesterday... We played for like an hour after she had her dinner. I can't believe she was so mean to dad... She was such a sweetheart for me." Nicole watches her little tabby chase back and forth across the screen. When the cat turns to the camera and meows loudly the redhead laughs. When the first video ends, Chrissy pushes up the sleeve of her sweater before she reaches across and swipes to the next one. It begins to play and she says, "Today we played and cuddled and just had a good time. I really always wanted a cat but Dad is such a dog person that we never got one." 

"That's actually great that you hung out with her. I worry she gets lonely spending so much time by herself when I'm working," Nicole admits.

"Well, I'm glad I could help. Anyway, I kinda came to see you for two reasons. The cat videos and... Well, I might as well just say it, right?" Nicole looks up at Chrissy as she hands the blonde her phone and nods. Chrissy takes a deep breath and quickly blurts out, "Did something happen between you and Waverly? I mean... She came into the coffee shop this morning, a lot earlier than normal and I don't know... She seemed so down and her phone rang while she was at the counter... And I sorta accidently saw it was a call from you and when she declined it I wanted to ask her what was going on, but I don't think she knows that I know, so I knew I'd have to come see you to get the scoop," Chrissy explains.

"Oh man..." Nicole says. 

She tries to explain what happened to Chrissy, but the blonde interrupts her almost immediately, "Wait, who's this Danielle? I'm not sure I know her."

"Uh, I don't really know her either. That's kind of the point. Waverly walked in on what she thought was a romantic moment when really I was just trying to find the right way to say 'no thanks.' She wouldn't let me explain and then she just said rambled about how I'd be safer if I was with Danielle, how her curse of a life shouldn't ruin mine... and then she just left," Nicole replies.

Chrissy sits in the arm chair and runs her hands through her hair for a minute before she finally says, "But you're not actually interested in Danielle, right?"

"I mean, sure... she's attractive, but..." Nicole pauses. She almost blurts out, 'I love Waverly, so that doesn't matter.' Instead she says, "She’s not really my type. I've really only got my sights set on short brunettes these days."

"Oh that's so cute... In a gross, that's-my-best-friend sort of way," Chrissy says, reaching across to pat Nicole's arm. "Let me give you some insight on Waves... She's always lived in the Earp shadow. She's always been the marginalized little sister. She tried so hard to be normal all through middle and high school, but I think deep down she always knew she wasn't normal. Truth is she is special... Her childhood left her with some holes in her heart and then, later she put up with a lot of shit from Champ to try to maintain her normal facade and I think she's nervous... I mean, Champ cheated on her every chance he got and she always took him back. I was so proud of her when she finally broke it off with him. She deserves so much better."

Nicole is quiet while Chrissy speaks, but can't help but to interrupt her when she says, "I know. I think so too. I want so badly to be the best for her. I... I just don't know what to do to fix what's happened though. I don't know how to tell her..."

Chrissy nods understandingly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. She's sensitive but she's also really tough. She's got these walls she puts up whenever things get hard. She blocks things out and sometimes she doesn't realize she's blocking out the good as well as the bad."

"What do I do then? I mean, you probably know her the best out of anyone in her life... 'Cept maybe Gus, but I'm sure if Waves hasn't told Wynonna about us, she hasn't told Gus either. I guess I'm just glad you figured it out ‘cause otherwise I'd had no one to talk to about except my sisters, who are thousands of miles away..." Nicole's voice breaks off and she quickly wipes at her cheek trying to hide the tear that's sliding down her face.

"I'm glad too and I think you're great for Waverly. You obviously care about her very deeply. She just doesn't see it, yet." Nicole almost interrupts again, but Chrissy sees the thoughts tumbling around in Nicole's head and bubbling towards her mouth and quickly continues, "SO I think you need to help her see it. I feel like Waves would respond well to a grand gesture of sorts. She never had any kind of real romance with Champ and being with him is really her only frame of reference for what a relationship should be like. Well, that and the movies. So maybe a John Cusack, _Say Anything_ , moment would make her see how you feel. You just have to find a way to make that moment your own." Chrissy takes a step forward and continues, "She's so into you and she doesn't even know it. I can see it though. The way she looks at you... She never looked at Champ the way she looked at you from the porch the other morning."

"I made such a fool of myself over that look... When Dolls, Doc and Waves came to question me about... you know, the incident... Dolls asked, 'What's the last thing you saw?' and I couldn't think with Waverly looking at me so sad... All I could say was 'Waverly Earp smiling at me from her front porch.' I'm sure Dolls noticed and Waves' face sank when I said it. I can't believe-"

"You love her don't you?" Chrissy says, abruptly.

Nicole squirms at the words and shrugs saying, "Yeah I really do... I love her... I've been so back and forth the last couple of days about whether to tell her or not, about how to tell her if I decide to... I mean, we've really only being sort of seeing each other for like a week. It's so soon. I won't be able to live with myself if I scared her away. She... She kinda means everything to me."

Nicole begins to cry again in earnest and Chrissy slides her hip onto the bed to wrap the redhead in her arms. She sobs into the blonde's shoulder for what seems like forever, when it's really only a few minutes. When she cries herself dry, Chrissy turns in their embrace and says, "You can't keep these feelings bottled up. You can tell her. I don't think it'll scare her off. I think she feels the same way... She just may not be ready to admit it. Don't push her and I think things will work out."

"Thanks, Chrissy. You really do give a good pep talk, you know?" Nicole says, voice cracking and throat sore from crying.

"Yeah. I'm talented that way. Perpetual optimist that's me," Chrissy says, as she points her two thumbs at her own chest and smiles sweetly.

"Hey... Listen not to totally change the subject, but are you doing anything tomorrow? I'm probably getting discharged and I had hoped Waves would be here to drive me home, but I guess that's not happening... So, would you?" the officer asks, shyly, rubbing her hands through her hair.

"Would I what? Drive you home?" Chrissy asks and when Nicole nods, and looks away, Chrissy laughs and balks, "Of course, Haught-shot. I have tomorrow off, so just give me a ring when you think they're getting ready to release you and I'll head right over."

"Thanks, Chrissy. I'm lucky to have a friend like you," Nicole responds. She shifts in the bed against the blonde and wraps her arms around the woman's shoulders. Chrissy instinctually wraps her arms around the redhead's middle and squeezes. Nicole lets out a yelp when Chrissy's squeeze shifts her ribs and rubs against her stitches. Chrissy jerks out of their embrace and off the bed. Nicole grabs Chrissy's wrist as she tries to pull father away saying, "Hey... it's ok. No harm done... I hurt myself worse than that when I was trying to change my shirt yesterday."

Chrissy laughs sort of uncomfortably and continues to try to back away from the officer. Nicole lets the blonde's wrist go, finally and just smiles up at her. Chrissy smiles back and whispers, "Sorry..."

Nicole smiles bigger, revealing her dimples. "Really... Don't worry yourself about it." 

Chrissy seems to relax a bit but is still inching towards the door. When she reaches the doorway she says, "OK, I'll try. Anyway, I've got to head out. Gotta get back over to your place and get Mimir her dinner... I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure thing. Send me a pic when you get there. I really miss her," the redhead replies.

"Of course. Bye, Nicole," Chrissy says, with a wave.

"Cool. Thanks again, Chrissy," Nicole replies with a wave of her own.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos so far guys... We half way there, so I won't keep you waiting... On to next chapter...

After Chrissy leaves, Nicole lets her mind wander over all the other conversations she had had over the past two days. She's delighted in the support she's gotten from Chrissy, of course, but she finds herself lingering on how almost caring Dolls had been. His usually stoic demeanor had morphed into something almost tender and he took her more uncomfortable questions with more ease than she would have expected. 'Maybe I am really starting to be accepted here,' Nicole thinks.

Another pleasant development of the last couple of days is her newly blossoming friendship with Wynonna. Of course some of their new dynamic is somewhat muddied by Wynonna's underwear drawer digging. Wynonna having something to blackmail Nicole with someday... _If Waves will ever talk to me again_... could have the gravest of effects on her relationship with the youngest Earp. 

With her thoughts now solely focused on Waverly, she ponders over the things Waverly had said. She replays the words over and over in her head. She stumbles over one line in particular each time... 'It just seems like this hill we're climbing is just really steep, especially when I'm not sure it's me you even want.' She thinks that could almost be a song lyric, if it had some rhythm to it. Maybe rephrase it a bit, more like "You said, this hill looks far too steep, if I'm not even sure it's me you wanna keep." After a moment or two, Nicole finds herself humming a melody she'd been toying with weeks ago. She pulls her phone out and begins typing out some quick notes. She can't really write a song without her guitar or piano, but she can at least try to flush out some lyrics. "You won't talk me into it next time... If I'm going away... Your heart is coming to," Nicole sings, softly to herself. She can't help but feel like Waverly's leaving had been the end of what had been developing between them. "So we put an end to it this time... I'm no longer yours and you're no longer mine..." She enters the lyrics into her phone along with some other notes about everything she could remember from their conversation. 

Feeling somewhat satisfied, Nicole relaxes back on the pillow and bundles up under the blanket Waverly had left her. She breathes in with the blanket to her face and though the smell is fading, Waverly's sweet, citrusy scent is still there. She sucks in breath after breath of the smell and it's only then she realizes the underwing lying thing in Waverly's scent is honeysuckle. Nicole swoons at the thought of the woman she loves and her favorite smell, almost like it's meant to be. The fluttering of her heart and her breath slows as she drifts off to sleep with thoughts of burying her face in Waverly's hair.

~~~

Surrounded by the scent, of course, Nicole dreams of Waverly, too. Images of burying her face in her hair, in her neck, in her breasts, in her navel, in her... _everything_... flash through her unconscious mind. She dreams of burying her face so deep she never wants to come up for air, surviving off the sweet, citrusy, salty, heady scent of Waverly, alone. 

As always, her dreams end just as things were starting to get loud and out of control. She wakes with a shiver, realizing she'd kicked off most of the covers sometime in the night. She squeezes her thighs together trying to relieve some of the pressure her oh-so-wet dream had brought to her core. She looks around and realizes the door is closed and she is alone. She peers through the small window in the door and sees no movement in the hall. She reaches down and pulls the blankets back up over her and snuggles down underneath again, slipping a hand into her pj's as she goes. She knows she shouldn't be doing this, but all she can think about is the need to release the rippling lines of tension that are running through her insides. It doesn't take long before Nicole is close. The tightness leftover from her dream combining with the fear of being caught, spiking her adrenaline levels, allowing her to push herself higher and higher until her back arches sharply and she bites on her lip in order to stifle her already quiet gasps and whimpers. She clutches tightly to the sheets with her free hand as her body rocks with aftershocks, her walls fluttering wildly as she comes down.   

Somewhat sated, she relaxes under the covers and thinks she could probably go back to sleep. She wars with herself for a moment about whether she should get up and at least wash her hands. Just as she's about to get up, there's a knock at the door. She pushes herself up in the bed, settles the covers over her lap, tucks her still damp hand under the blanket and begins wiping it on the sheets. She calls out, "Come in." She blinks a couple times and realizes her vision isn't blurry; there's a face print on her glasses and she quickly removes them to wipe down the lenses with the hem of her tank top. When she slides her glasses back on, she catches an open mouthed Danielle staring at her abs. Nicole bristles slightly and tugs her tank top back down.

Danielle snaps out of her stupor and looks away, face flushed bright red. "Sorry... I... You said come in and... and I did and I... I..." she stammers, totally embarrassed and slinking back toward the door. 

Nicole huffs out a rough laugh, a laugh that stops Danielle in her tracks. "Relax, Danielle. I'm flattered, not upset... Is there a reason you stopped by?"

The intern seems to stiffen further instead of relaxing, but she manages to choke out, "I came to... to check your stitches to see if you're ready to be discharged." She gestures towards the redhead's injured side.

"Well, then let's get down to business then. I can't wait to get out of here, to be honest. I've never been one for blue walls," Nicole says, with a hearty laugh.

The sound of Nicole's laugh and her casual tone seems to calm the intern somewhat and she approaches the bed. She reaches down to grab the bed adjustment remote and she says, "Just lie back and try to relax. This shouldn't take but just a second."

Nicole complies as the motorized bed reclines. Danielle reaches out and gingerly pulls down the covers to reveal more of the redhead's tank top covered torso. "I'm just gonna pull your shirt up a bit, ok?" she almost whispers.

Nicole nods and closes her eyes, trying to breathe through the awkwardness. As Danielle leans over her, all she can think about is whether the intern has a good sense of smell or not. If she does, Nicole is going to be seriously embarrassed soon. As it is, her breath hitches sharply in her throat at the interns touch. She feels small, slightly cold gloved fingers trace over the line where her stitches are and she groans a bit when they press down around the wound. Danielle's fingers linger for a moment or two longer before she withdraws her hands and pulls Nicole's shirt back down. When Nicole opens her eyes again, Danielle's eyes are hazy and her hands are shaking, ever so slightly. Nicole takes pity on the young woman and attempts to stamp out the awkwardness, drawing out the word, "So...?"

Danielle sucks in a quick breath and steps back, saying, "You look great... I mean, the stitches, they look great. You heal fast. I wouldn't be surprised if those couldn't come out in a few more days. How are you feeling otherwise?"

Nicole meets the interns gaze, saying "I'm starting to feel kinda normal actually. I mean... yeah, the stitches itch like hell and I have to constantly remind myself not to laugh or even breath too hard, but I can stand up straight now, where I couldn't yesterday." With that thought, she realizes she needs to pee and wash her fucking hands. She shifts her legs off the bed to get up.

"Oh you don't have to show me... I trust you," Danielle explains, raising her hands in submission.

Nicole chuckles as she slides out of the bed, "Actually, I realized I really need to use the facilities. Do you mind waiting just a minute?"

"Well... My exam is technically done. I'll just come back in a bit with some papers for you to sign and you'll be able to get out of here. Do you have someone to come to pick up?" Danielle asks, shyly.

"Yeah. I'll call them and let them know it's time. Thanks, Danielle," Nicole says, with a smile.

Danielle exits as Nicole slips into the bathroom. After using the toilet she sets about cleaning herself up as best she can in the sink again. Nicole wonders if she can shower when she gets home. 'I'll have to remember ask Danielle if my stitches are ok to get wet now,' she thinks as she slides on her last set of clean clothes. She steps back into her room and immediately goes for her phone. She sets herself up to text Chrissy.

 

10:40am   Nicole- Hey, you still good to come take me home today?"

Only a minute or two passes before her phone buzzes with Chrissy's response.

 

Chrissy- Of course. How long do you have?   10:43am

 

Nicole quickly types her response, not even rereading it for typos.

10:44am   Nicole- Just waiting for Danielle to come back with stuff to sign. I would say my discharge is imminent.

Nicole sees the little dots appear and disappear and reappear several times before Chrissy's next response comes through.

 

Chrissy- Ok. I'll head right over   10:48am

 

The redhead is confused as to why it took Chrissy so long to respond and as she rereads the text she sent, she sees where the blonde’s brain had gone, straight into the gutter. 'Danielle is coming back to make my discharge imminent. God, that is terrible,' Nicole thinks chastising herself. She blushes as she sends a quick K as a response and begins making her way around the room packing her toiletries and dirty clothes into her duffel bag. She folds Waverly's blanket neatly and thinks, 'I'll try to remember to get this to Wynonna, so she can give it back to Waverly, ‘cause obviously Waverly doesn't want anything to do with me right now...'

Not too long after, Chrissy arrives and Nicole immediately pushes the blonde about what took her so much deliberation in her response to Nicole's discharge imminent text. Chrissy blushes hotly, but laughs, "Oh you know... Just thinking about your little intern. She'd... That she’d probably love to hear you... call out that your... ha... that your discharge was imminent." Chrissy chokes on her laughter and the words a bit but manages to get it all out.

Nicole blushes deep crimson and hides her face with her hair. "I figured as much but I kinda just wanted to see if you'd actually go there," she admits with a chuckle.

"I've always had what could be described as a twisted sense of humor... two older brothers. What's your excuse?" Chrissy asks.

"Well... uh... I guess you've got me there," Nicole replies, frankly.

Chrissy cracks up a little more, but goes suddenly quiet when the door opens again. Danielle enters with a big stack of papers. She opens her mouth to speak just as Chrissy jumps in, rushing forward, "Hi! I'm Chrissy."

Danielle reaches out immediately with her free hand and the blonde grasps it and shakes. "I'm Danielle. Nice to meet you..." She trails off for a moment before turning her attention to the redhead. "If you'll just sign these we'll have you out of here in just a few minutes." When the redhead focuses in on the papers, she turns back to Chrissy and continues, almost sharply, "So, you'll be driving her home then?"

"Yep," Chrissy says, popping the 'p' sound with a roll of her lips. She smiles at the grumpy look on the intern's face and turns to Nicole saying, "Do you have a jacket to wear? It's pretty chilly outside..."

Nicole looks up as she signs the last page and catches a glimpse of the resting bitch face Danielle has adopted, her eyes glaring into the back of Chrissy's head. 'What the fuck is her problem?' Nicole thinks before realizing Chrissy is staring at her expecting an answer. "Oh... No... I didn't think to ask Wynonna to grab one for me when she was over at my place grabbing stuff for me the other day... Uh... I guess I can just wrap up in this blanket for now." She shuffles the discharge papers until they're all flush together again and lifts them gesturing them towards Danielle. When the intern finally looks up at her Nicole asks, "So am I good to, like, shower and stuff when I get home? I mean, because of the stitches and all."

The intern hustles to accept them. The sour look on her face dissolves as she looks into the redhead's eyes and she says, "Well... Yes, it'll be fine if you get your stitches wet at this point, just be sure to pat them dry. Don't rub." She stands there awkwardly for a second and then stammers, "You should be good to go... Remember buzz if you need anything. You have my number." She turns on her heel and swishes her hips on the way out the door.

Chrissy huffs, barely suppressing her laughter as the intern exits. She slides over to the door and pushes it almost closed. "Wow... Nicole, she's got it bad for you. Did you see that look she was giving me?... I'm not even into girls, and just ‘cause I'm driving you home I got that reaction. Incredible..."

"What can I say? Other than that one moment where Waves walked in on us, I have been nothing but up front with her... that I'm definitely not interested. I mean, she came in earlier to check my stitches and almost caught m-" Nicole sucks in a quick breath and starts to deflect that massive misstep when Chrissy barks with laughter.

"Caught you?" Chrissy asks. The redhead clams up and Chrissy presses saying, "Caught you doing what, Nicole?"

“I can’t... Chrissy... Some things are private,” the redhead replies softly.

The blonde opens her mouth to say something, but closes it again, shaking her head. She turns away from Nicole and reaches out to grab Nicole’s duffel bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she says, “Well ok then. Don’t tell me... That’s fine. I’ll just have to use my imagination to fill in the gaps on that one.” She waggles eyebrows suggestively and winks at the redhead. “Right now, I’m imagining something along the lines of... ‘Unh... Oh... Shit... Oh-oh Waves... Unnhh-Fuck... yes!... Yes!-Fuck! YES!... !WAVES!...” When she recovers her breath, she says “So... Am I close?” 

Nicole gapes at Chrissy’s impression of her, the breathy gasping and the low throaty moans totally throwing her off her game. She can hear Chrissy’s balking laughter and snorting as she loses it. Her eyes follow as the blonde crosses to the armchair, clutching at it for support. She can’t respond, she’s too overcome with embarrassment. Finally, Chrissy regains some modicum of control over herself and looks up into Nicole’s chocolate brown eyes and says, “Guess I nailed that one huh, Little Miss Haught-under-the-covers?”

Nicole face flushes the color of her hair and she snorts as she chokes on the pun. She’s still pretty embarrassed, but she’s all but told the blonde what she wanted to know, so might as well spell it out for her. She whispers softly, “Yes... It was something like that... Though I hope I wasn’t being that loud about it... Especially... with the door open.” She points over the blonde’s shoulder and that’s when Chrissy notices the crowd her little outburst had drawn. The door must have blown open because a couple of nurses and a patient in a wheelchair, being pushed by what Nicole assumes is a family member, have all stopped in front of the door. They look around wildly when the blonde looks up at them and they shuffle off in different directions, bowing their heads in quiet laughter.

“Oh god... that is super awkward. Well... hopefully none of them frequents the coffee shop,” Chrissy manages after the crowd disperses. She collects herself for a second and continues, “You ready to go?”

Nicole nods and gets up from the bed slowly. She stretches a bit and straightens. Her ribs hurt like hell still, but the stitches don’t pull as much when she stretches, so she feels pretty confident about leaving the hospital.

They get as far as the nurses station before an orderly comes around the corner with a wheelchair and offers, “Can I give you ride, Officer?”

She smiles at her, R. Ortiz, her name tag proclaims, but the redhead hesitates to approach the chair. She really wants to walk on her own two feet out of here and the hospital is not that big, but she decides to accept the ride knowing she still has to have enough energy to push through the pain of getting settled in at her place. She sits down and R. Ortiz puts her hand on the redhead’s shoulder and looks over at Chrissy, saying “Which lot are you parked in?”

Chrissy smiles at the orderly and replies, “Oh, I got a spot pretty close. I’m in A3, right out front.”

“Great,” the orderly replies and they push forward towards the elevators. 

The rest of the trip to the car is in silence. Nicole gets a little help from Chrissy getting out of the chair and into the passenger seat. She turns her body slightly towards the orderly and R. Ortiz says, “You all set?” and with a nod from the redhead she continues, “Well, don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or complications. Have yourself a good day, Officer Haught.” She waves and turns back towards the hospital.

Chrissy settles herself into the driver’s seat and turns to the redhead, exclaiming “Does every girl you come across look at you like that?”

“Chrissy... She wasn't looking at me like anything,” Nicole admonishes.

“Yeah, sure... Though I think you missed a couple things when you were staring at that wheelchair for like a solid minute. The look she was giving you and then the one she gave me. I don’t know but it seems to me, she was trying to suggest something with her ‘Can I give you a ride, Officer?” Chrissy laughs a little as she pulls up to the turn out of the hospital parking lot and moves out on to the road.

Nicole is quiet for several minutes before she finally replies, “I... I guess I don’t really expect to get hit on in a small place like Purgatory... What, they say one percent of the population is gay? So what are the chances of meeting and hitting it off with one of the statistically few lesbians in town... I mean, it took me like two months to figure out Waverly might... possibly... be attracted to me. I mean I hoped she was... but she could have easily been just being nice ‘cause that’s who she is... I- I don’t know. I guess being a lesbian means all relationships with women, sexually or otherwise get complicated. There’s that inevitable thought of ‘is she flirting with me?’ and nine point nine times out of ten she’s not. She is just being nice. And then there’s the other end of that too, where my friend or whatever asks me one day out of the blue ‘Are you hitting on me?...’ So, I don't really keep a lot of female friends if you know what I mean. Really, before Waverly and I started doing whatever we’re doing I... uh... I haven’t seriously dated anyone in a while... Like, since freshman year of college and that wasn’t even something you’d call serious. Just a cycle of curious girls getting their lesbian collegiate flings out of the way after that... I mean there was this one woman just before college, but she... she broke my heart, so yeah... God, that was over five years ago...” 

The redhead slumps in her seat at her admission, feeling totally defeated. Her shoulders sag and she hisses out a painfully deep breath. Chrissy reaches across the cab and tries to offer what comfort she can putting her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. After a moment of two of rubbing smaller circles with her thumb, she stops and shakes Nicole’s shoulder a little. That gets the redhead’s attention and she looks up with bloodshot eyes. “Look, Nicole... Let’s get something straight between us.” Nicole laughs weakly at the term, but Chrissy pushes onward, “Our friendship doesn’t have to get complicated. I’m not interested in you and you’re not interested me... right?” Nicole shakes her head sort of sadly and the blonde says, “Good. We’re just friends, which means you can tell me things without fear of judgement. I’m just happy to know you and I feel like you deserve good things to happen to you and my goal as your friend to do my best to see those things happen.” 

Nicole wipes at the tears that are streaming down her face. Chrissy reaches across to the glove box and pulls out a travel pack of tissues and hands them to the redhead. She accepts them, saying “Thanks, Chrissy. I don’t know what got into me there. I'm not usually a crier. I’m really not usually this emotional at all. You just always seem to catch me in moments of weakness...”

“Hey... showing emotion isn’t weakness. It’s called being human. I... I mean, you can’t be that confident butch cop all the time, right?” Chrissy begins to laugh at what she thinks is a joke, but then the expression on Nicole’s face stops her short.  

Nicole thinks, ‘God, there it is again.’ She just breathes for a second and she sees Chrissy squirm a little. “Yeah, that’s me... The butch lesbian cop... The dyke...” 

“Nicole, that’s not what I meant, you know that right? I... I was trying to make a joke. I’m sorry. Obviously, you didn’t find it funny and I’m sorry,” Chrissy says, withdrawing her hands into her lap and looking down.

“Hey, you’re right. I’m sorry, too. I’m just kinda sensitive when it comes to labels like that. I don’t really read into the butch or femme thing too much... I’m just Nicole,” the redhead says, as she looks out the windshield. “Oh... we’re here. I didn’t even notice.”

“Yeah, you ready to be home?” the blonde asks.

“Definitely,” Nicole replies.


	18. Chapter 18

After several minutes of heavy breathing and some grunting, Nicole, with a fair amount of help from Chrissy, crests the top of the stairs, finally approaching her bedroom. Once inside, Chrissy releases her hold on the redhead's hip and flips the light switch by the door. 

Chrissy's gasp draws Nicole's attention from the cozy looking bed to her dresser. Almost artfully arranged, Nicole's small toy collection is laid out on the top; her silver bullet with its remote and blue waterproof vibrator pointing at each other in a V, strap-on and some of its attachments displayed, standing tall, propped up against each other and the wall behind the dresser. Nicole stumbles over to the display and attempts to put her body between Chrissy and the, sort of, vulgar installation art. Upon closer inspection, Nicole notices a carefully laid out ring of the really good non-latex condoms that Nicole usually keeps stocked in her nightstand. In the center of the ring is a pink post-it note with a hastily scribbled message on it... _What the hell does a lesbian need condoms for?_... Nicole thinks aloud, "Easy clean up, duh?"

"Uh... What?" Chrissy squeaks. 

Nicole suddenly remembers she's not alone and wheels around to face the blonde, still trying to keep her body blocking Wynonna's sick idea of a joke. Face and chest flushed with her total embarrassment, Nicole stammers as she says, "Oh... Uh... Nothing, nothing... I'll just... uh... stash this... stuff real quick." She quickly turns back to the dresser and wrenches the top drawer open and draws everything into her totally disheveled underwear drawer in one sweep of her arms. 'She could of at least folded it all back up for me. I mean it's like she pulled out each pair and looked at them all...' Nicole thinks, staring down at her underwear. She slowly shuts the drawer, deciding to tackle that once she's alone. Nicole turns back to Chrissy and finds her dying in silent laughter. She lets out a grunt and shuffles to the bed and flops down onto it, only realizing once she landed what a terrible idea that was, as she winces and hisses through the burning pain in her side and chest. 

Chrissy snaps out of it at the sound of her friend in pain and she rushes to the redhead's side. "Hey, hey... It's ok... Just breathe," she says as she slips down on to the bed and rubs her hand over Nicole's back soothingly. The redhead coughs a few times before Chrissy says, "Let me get you some water. Be right back."

Nicole slowly rolls over and shuffles up in the bed and tries to relax with her back against the pillows. Chrissy returns a moment or two later, with a tall glass water. She hands it off to her friend and steps towards the bathroom. Chrissy opens the medicine cabinet and rifles through for a minute before finding what she's looking for. She dumps a couple of Tylenol out of the bottle and heads back into the bedroom. When she offers the pills to Nicole she's greeted with a gracious smile. Nicole gulps down the pills with the last of the water. Wordlessly, Chrissy grabs the empty glass and returns to the bathroom to refill it from the tap in there. When she returns, she notices Nicole's breathing has settled to almost normal, but her skin is still flushed as red as her hair. Well, the blonde can't really tell if her face is still red because the redhead has one arm draped over her face. Chrissy sets the glass down on the night side and sits on the side of the bed again. "Anything else I can get you?" she asks, softly.

Nicole huffs out a weak laugh and says, "How about a way to scrub the image of Wynonna's little display from my memory?"

Chrissy laughs as well. "Yeah... That was... uh-unexpected," she says eventually. 

"God... I mean I knew she'd riffled through my underwear drawer. She all but told me she'd seen that... stuff... But I had no idea she was gonna pull some shit like this," Nicole replies, anger at Wynonna tinting her voice. The thing that makes her the most mad is that Wynonna would have known that Nicole wouldn't be coming home alone. She had to know that the hospital wouldn't have released her without someone else to drive her home and help her get settled inside. Feeling suddenly relieved, Nicole thinks 'Well...  At least it wasn't Waverly who drove me home.'

Chrissy lets Nicole stew for a moment before she says, "Well... I guess it's a good thing I was the one to drive you home and not Waves, right?"

"Wow. Great minds... I was just thinking that. I mean, this is embarrassing enough, but you actually seem pretty cool about it. Waverly probably would have run screaming from the room or fainted or something," Nicole says, chuckling at the image of the little brunette literally swooning at the suggestive display.

Chrissy smiles and offers, "I can definitely see her fainting, ha. Like, she was just so overwhelmed she blacked out... She was always timid about sex stuff in high school. Until Champ that is... He was always kissing and hugging all over her in public; a dog claiming his territory... Anyway, uh you gonna be ok if I head out? I've got a... a date later that I kinda need to get ready for." She looks away sort of guiltily.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good... Who you going out with?" Nicole asks, surprised Chrissy hadn't mentioned it before.

"Oh... Just one of the guys in town. Not sure you know him," Chrissy says, keeping her eyes down.

"Well as long as it's not Champ..." the redhead says, jokingly.

"Ha! Yeah that'll be the day... No, it's definitely not Champ," the blonde assures.

"Good. Text me later and let me know how it goes?" Nicole offers, with a smile and wink.

"Will do. You text me if you need anything. I don't care what time it is or what I may or may not be doing. You're one of the good ones, Nicole. We need you here in Purgatory, whether you know it or not," Chrissy says, with a suddenly serious look on her face.

Nicole is slightly amazed at the sincerity in Chrissy's voice. She could feel the truth in the blonde's words. Definitely moved, she says, "Thanks, Chrissy. I am really starting to feel like Purgatory is home and having a friend like you is a big part of that... Really thank you." She reaches her arms out to hug Chrissy before she has a chance to get up. 

Chrissy gratefully accepts the embrace and hugs the redhead back, being gentle with her arms around Nicole's delicate sides this time. She breathes heavy with emotion, and finally chokes out, "Ok, but I mean it... Day or Night... Date or no date... Text or call if you need anything."

Releasing her grip on the blonde, Nicole rests her back against the pillows again and says, "Don't worry about me. I'm gonna order a calzone and a salad from Tony's; eat it and then right back to bed... I'm actually kind of exhausted. I'll call you tomorrow, either way, ok?"

"Sounds good, Nicole. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Chrissy says as she stands up from her seat on the bed and crosses to the door. She waves and exits the room, calling out over her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll lock the door on my way out."

~~~

A couple hours later, Nicole manages to get resettled into the bed, belly full and tired. She surfs Instagram for a little while, checks up on her favorite accounts, and posts a pic of her feet covered up by the blankets and her darkened bedroom: #homesweethome. She knows that Liz and Hayley both follow her, so they would figure out eventually that she's out of the hospital. She realizes she'll have to call her mother at some point, but decides that can wait until after she's gotten some sleep. 

After a couple of minutes of trying to sleep, which mostly consists of the redhead staring blankly at the ceiling, daydreaming about her 'grand gesture' she's supposed to be figuring out for Waverly. She decides to chance a text to the brunette. She ruminates over what to say for a few more minutes before typing three words into the app and sending it off without a second thought.

10:32 pm Nicole- I miss you...

She lays quietly for a little while longer, lost in thought, arms folded behind her head, before she finally drifts of to sleep.

~~~

When she wakes the next morning she's totally disoriented. After having spent three nights in the hospital, her bed seems sort of foreign. She adjusts herself in the bed, turning to the nightstand and gulping down the last of the water in her glass from the night before. She goes to check the time on her phone and notices three missed messages from late the night before, two from Chrissy and one from Waverly. She struggles to get her phone open and quickly opens Waverly's text and her heart falls when she finally gets to read it. 

 

Waves- I know. Me too. I'm sorry. 3:48am

Nicole reads it again and again. She wants to reply, but what can you say to that. She doesn't want to pressure Waverly anymore than she already is so she switches over to Chrissy's messages, hoping they hold better news.

 

Chrissy- Date went great! He's actually a total gentleman. I had my doubts, but we're already on for another date next week. Can't Wait! 11:48pm

Chrissy- Hope you're doing ok... Remember don't be too proud to ask for help if you need it, Officer Red-Haught! 12:21am

Nicole types in her response to Chrissy quickly enough. She rereads it a couple times before sending it.

 

6:32am Nicole- Yeah Chrissy I'm ok. Glad to hear your date went to well, but you'll have to tell me who this guy is before the wedding for sure. 

Knowing that the wedding comment would probably embarrass the blonde she adds the winking emoji to the text line and sends it by itself. 

Feeling hungry, Nicole slowly makes her way down to the kitchen to make herself some instant oatmeal. Once it's ready she sits down in her armchair in the living room and turns on the stereo. She hooks her phone up to it via Bluetooth and selects her Waves playlist. She decides to spend the day mulling over what she could do to get the brunette to just talk to her. She knows if she can accomplish that, maybe she can alleviate at least some of Waverly's fears about their burgeoning relationship. She knows Waves is scared to get close thinking Nicole will just leave her when things get too hard or too weird or whatever. She would just have to reassure Waverly that nothing could be further than the truth. Purgatory really is beginning to feel like home and just the idea of leaving is painful. Nicole also knows that Waverly is scared that Nicole is more attracted to Danielle than she is the youngest Earp. "I guess she just can't see what I see when I look at her. I've got to find a way to fix that. Waverly needs to know how special and beautiful and perfect she really is," Nicole thinks aloud. "I'll do whatever it takes... I'm not giving up."

Sometime later, Nicole decides to try to orchestrate the song she had started while she was still in the hospital. She heads upstairs to her little studio and searches through her computer to find the guitar melody track she had already recorded. She plays it a couple times through to remember all the chords. Confident she can play it from memory now, she takes up her guitar off of its stand and begins to play the chorus section over and over. She pauses now and then to scribble down lyrics or to scratch something out. She works on the song for a couple hours or so, before taking a break to play through what she had down so far. 'It's definitely rough but a little more time and I'm sure it'll pan out to be a really good song,' she muses, surprised by how she could already hear the drum beat to go with her melody. She knows it'll need something else when that's done; maybe some piano or strings. "Yeah, I think that'll shape up nicely," she says. 

With her brain little overworked, she relaxes back into the couch in the studio and decides to play through some covers she knows to work through her tired brain. She plays two or three songs on the guitar before moving over to the piano/synthesizer to play. She starts the play _All For Believing_ by Missy Higgins and that's when it hits her, the best idea she's had so far about her 'grand gesture' for Waverly. She knows she'd never get away with showing up at the homestead with her guitar and actually serenading the little brunette, but a C/D, a mixed tape of sorts, with recordings of a bunch of songs she could cover as well as a few of her own songs, would be perfect. It would be something Waverly could listen to in private and decide for herself what she wanted with no pressure. She imagines even making up some album art and liner notes. She knows it'll take at least a couple days to get it ready, but really she has nothing but time and this'll be a great way to eat up that time.

 

~~~

 

 

Over the next few days, every waking minute not spent eating or showering or talking on the phone with Chrissy, one of her sisters, or her mom, is spent working on the album, affectionately titled WayHaught- A Tribute for Waverly Earp By Nicole Haught. She decides ten songs will be enough and she finalizes the song list on the first day. 

1\. The Stranger- Nicole Haught*

2\. Play Along- Sarah Bolen

3\. Secret- Missy Higgins

4\. Overlap- Ani DiFranco

5\. Little Love- Nicole Haught*

6\. All for Believing- Missy Higgins 

7\. Beautiful Girl- Poe

8\. Let Me In- Save Ferris

9\. The Last Song Ever- Secondhand Serenade

10\. Ten Days- Nicole Haught*

Once that's settled she sets herself to working and then recording each one, getting at least one instrument involved in each song, with some of them recording and layering several tracks, so she could incorporate drums, piano, or stuff off the synthesizer, like strings or bass guitar, into the finished songs.

Eventually when she's got the C/D itself finished, she calls Chrissy to come over and help her design the album art and liner notes. Nicole is a musician, not an artist, but has some ideas of what she wants, just no technical knowledge on editing photos and such on a computer. When Chrissy had volunteered to help while they were on the phone one afternoon, Nicole had jumped at the chance to get Chrissy's artistic opinion and technical know-how. 

"Actually, I think I liked it better before the filter," Nicole says, staring over Chrissy's shoulder at the blonde's laptop.

"Ok, what about this one?" Chrissy asks, clicking through the menus until she finds the next filter she wants to try.

"Oh... That's freaking perfect," Nicole sighs and puts her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Save it just like that."

Chrissy complies and asks, "What about the liner notes? I... I could set you up with a template and you could type those out if you want... I mean, I'm not sure you want me reading what you've gotta say to Waves. I'm not sure I wanna know now that I've seen your collection." The blonde wiggles her eyebrows suggestively at the redhead with a grin.

Nicole blushes hotly for what feels like the umpteenth time in the last few days. Chrissy always seems to know just when to bring up Wynonna's little sex toy stunt to get the biggest and brightest reactions out of the officer. 

Today though, Nicole is going to do her best to not get goaded into revealing anything else super embarrassing, especially after what she had said when they had been on the phone a couple nights before, talking after Chrissy's Saturday night date with Pete, a ranch hand formerly employed at TatenHill Farms. 

Chrissy had made a crack about looking forward to getting to know little Pete and Nicole had scoffed, loudly. Chrissy immediately fired back saying, "I mean it's kinda like the difference between home grown and store bought veggies. Home grown... you never know what you're gonna get, but I guess when you can just go to the produce section at the grocery store, you can pick out what looks good." 

Nicole balked into the phone and said, "I don't usually shop for mine in the produce section, but I guess a cucumber would probably do in a pinch."

Chrissy's end of the phone was silent for a couple moments before she burst out laughing. She laughed harder and harder as she tried to spit out words, "Oh- My- God... What- the- Actual- Fuck did you just say- A cucumber- Really Nicole? What? Is that something you know from... Experience?"

Nicole was a little mollified by the blonde's laughter, and even though she had never done anything of the sort, she replied, "Well... Sometimes you have improvise."

At that, Chrissy totally lost her shit, not speaking for several minutes, only the sounds of her rolling laughter filling the phone's speaker.

Nicole couldn't believe she had said that and said she 'had things to do'... _Anything but dig this hole any deeper_... and quickly ended the call. 

Today though Nicole just looks at the blonde and says, "Nice try, but there'll be no more comments from me on my collection. At least not today."

"Ok, ok... Here what do you think of these fonts?" the blonde asks, switching the font on the song list back and forth between two choices.

"I like the second one better. I'm a big fan of plain lettering. Script and cursive just makes things harder to read," Nicole says.

~~~

Sometime later, Chrissy runs down to the station to use the good color printer. Nicole knows that's probably... _Definitely_... against the rules, but she also knows Chrissy will get away with it. Nobody in the department would even bat an eyelash at the boss's daughter using one of the computers and the printer.

When Chrissy returns, she looks very pleased with herself. She hands the finished product to Nicole and the redhead is amazed by how good it looks, like a professional C/D booklet. 

The cover art is a sort of take on one of Salvador Dali's paintings called Two Pieces of Bread Expressing The Sentiment of Love. In Dali's painting, two pieces of bread sit just touching against a dusky-orange colored, dirty, desert background. The art they had designed is two oranges rolled against each other in the foreground against a background of the Canadian Rockies, with a line honeysuckle bushes acting a horizon line in the mid-ground. Chrissy had messed around with the filters until it looked absolutely alive. Nicole is blown away by how good the finished product looks printed.

The rest of the book is equally as artistic only with more simple images. Each chosen to accompany a specific song. Nicole had decided that including each song's lyrics was important too, so Chrissy had worked almost a full day just on those images and the lyrics. 

The back cover of the booklet holds the liner notes that Nicole wanted to include. Holding the booklet to her chest, Nicole could recite the words by heart.

 

-Waverly Earp

You're not just The Stranger, not anymore and I'll gladly Play Along with your Secrets and mysteries because where we Overlap makes this Little Love that I feel impossible to ignore, impossible for me to give up without at least trying to make things right. I'm All For Believing in me and you, in us, Beautiful Girl. So, please just Let Me In and tell me know how The Last Song ends. It's been Ten Days, Waves and whether it's another ten or more, I'll be here. Time won't change anything at all, because you're the only one who feels like home. 

-Nicole Erika Haught

 

~~~

 

 

After five days of working on the album, it's finally finished and Nicole slides the booklet into the case and then she pulls the C/D out of her computer. She marvels at the image etched into the front of the disc. Lightscribed into the surface is a delicate impression of the cover art. She slips the disc into the case and closes it. She's overcome with emotion as she looks up at Chrissy and says, "I can't believe it's finished. Now I just gotta figure out how to get it to her... Should I mail it or just take it to her myself? I don't want Wynonna to know about this unless Waves wants her to know about it... If she ever wants Wynonna to know about it. I- I don't want her to have answer any awkward questions from her sister."

Chrissy looks pensive for a moment and says, "Well, I don't think either of those ideas are really best. The mail will take an extra two days for her to get it, even though you'd be mailing in town, and delivering in person may get tricky." The blonde is quiet for a moment and then blurts out, "Hey! What if I deliver it? Wynonna won't ask as many questions if it's something coming from me... and I can try to be discreet about it, too."

"You'd do that?" Nicole asks, shyly.

"Yeah, of course. I already told you I totally approve of you and Waves. I couldn't imagine a better match for her than you. You obviously care about her beyond words," Chrissy says as she gestures towards the C/D in Nicole's hands. "I mean you just spent the last five days making her... a glorified mixed tape. Something that should take five minutes, you stretched out to five freaking days. Think about that... I'd have to be blind and deaf to not know how deep your feelings run for her."

Nicole blushes a little and smiles. She's elated when she says, "Thanks, Chrissy. I'd love it if you'd take it to her. Let me just get an envelope for it."

She fishes a specialized padded C/D envelope out of her desk and slips the album inside. She seals it up and hands it to the blonde. Chrissy takes it and says, "I think she's working the evening shift at Shorty's tonight. I can give it to her then." The blonde notices the worried look on the redhead's face and she continues, "Don't worry, Haught, I'll keep it safe 'til then."

Nicole physically relaxes, but her brain is still whirling around at a thousand miles a minute. All she can do is nod at Chrissy's words. 

"I'll call you when it's done?" Chrissy asks, with a tender smile.

Nicole just nods again and Chrissy knows she's not going to get much more in way of conversation for her friend. She excuses herself quietly and leaves, presumably heading straight to Shorty's with her missive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * As mentioned earlier, The Stranger is by Melissa Ferrick. Little love is another one by Melissa Ferrick and Ten Days and its inspriation of earlier scenes come from Missy Higgins.


	19. Chapter 19

Nicole wallows for a while, mind spinning round and round, like a centrifuge, whirling faster and faster with each rotation. Each thought leading to another and another until she's right back where she started... _What would she say? What should I say? Should I have delivered it myself? Would I have been able to leave if I had? What would she have said? What will she say when she calls? If she calls? Should I call her, first? What would she say? What would I say?_... 

She snaps out of her worry loop when she realizes her phone is ringing and she scrambles to answer it.

"Mission accomplished, Officer Haught." Chrissy's tone is light and playful.

Nicole huffs out a breath in relief. "Thanks again, Chrissy... Uh... So, what'd she say when you gave it to her?" Nicole asks, delicately.

"Oh... Well I managed to catch her as she was on her way in. She was confused to start with, but when I told her it was from you... her face totally lit up. She blushed pretty hard before she finally asked how you were. I told her you were doing much better and about your checkup tomorrow. She gave me this kinda dazed look and I told her I'd been helping you get around and stuff. She was quiet for a minute before she said she appreciated it, but I could tell there was something there, guilt maybe... But, yeah... She really wanted to open the C/D, but I told her to wait 'til after work. I didn't tell her why, but... I figured she didn't really wanna be crying before she went in for her shift. I mean, when I listened to it... it just about made me cry... Anyway, I bet you'll be hearing from her later. I think she gets off at 11."

Nicole listens intently the whole time Chrissy is talking. When she realizes the blonde is done, she says, "Nice play by play... You ever thought about being a sports announcer or newscaster?"

Chrissy just laughs, sweetly and replies, "I was trying to give you details... And yes, I actually do a little sports announcing... I do most Purgatory High's home hockey games, when I'm not working at the coffee shop anyway."

Nicole smiles when she says, "I'll have to check that out. I bet you're good at it."

"Yeah, yeah... Flatterer. Anyway... I guess, let me know?" Chrissy asks.

Nicole answers, "Will do... Thanks again. I think I might try to nap or something. I definitely dreading waiting 'til 11."

The blonde snickers as she says, "Yeah... Good luck with that. Talk to you later."

Nicole ends the call and stares down at her phone. "Well... Six o'clock now. So just five more hours... God, six if she listens to the whole thing before she calls... if she calls... Ugh," she says to herself, flopping back onto the bed. A surprising thought strikes her, 'Hey! That's the first sharp movement in well over a week that hasn't hurt like fire.' Lying there, she stares at the ceiling and she tries to concentrate on her impending doctor's appointment. This check-up, if it goes well, would mean Nicole would be cleared for work and as much as she really wants to get back to it, she can't help but feel nervous about it. She'd never been scared of pain or dying really. 'Dying is just another part of life,' her dad had said when Nicole shipped out for Afghanistan. It was that day that she resolved herself to do whatever was needed of her without fear of death because it was just a part of life; that is was inevitable, and if it was her time she would just have to hope to get more time in her next life. Now though, Nicole is finding herself nervous about how she will react in the face of death the next time she sees it. Will she be able to put aside her fears and be willing to die if necessary to ensure the safety of others? Would she be able to face danger without flinching like she had always been able to in the past? 

Nicole's stomach grumbles and even though she feels totally demoralized, both by her current love life situation and her trepidation about returning to work, she reluctantly gets up from the bed and heads downstairs to the kitchen. She pulls some leftover spare ribs and fried rice out of the fridge. Deciding it's too much work and clean-up involved to re-heat it, she eats it cold right out of the to-go containers, absentmindedly, standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter. 

She spends the next hour trying to keep busy and fails with each attempt. First, she figures she could play some music after she finishes eating. Five minutes in, the callouses on her fingers from playing so much over the last week start to hurt. She decides to move back downstairs and try to watch some TV. There's at least one episode left in Fear The Walking Dead and more than a few Once Upon A Time episodes waiting for her on Hulu. She browses through the episodes, and she starts a Once episode only to get distracted with thoughts of Waverly during the first set of commercials and when she looks back to the TV she has no idea what's happening. She turns it off, deciding she'll have to start that one over later when she could concentrate. She thinks maybe a shower would help. She hustles off upstairs, quickly undresses and hops in. She follows her normal shower routine, washing and conditioning her hair, lathering up her washcloth and washing her body. After rinsing away the suds, she stands under the water for a few minutes trying to let the heat and steam relax her. When her thoughts drift back to the little brunette Earp, she rushes to get out of the shower before her mind has a chance to drift too far off into the more adult end of the spectrum. She throws on some clean UoT- Austin sweats and pads back downstairs to settle in on the couch with her phone. She surfs Instagram for a few minutes, but the more she looks at the phone the more she finds herself wishing Waverly would text her or call her already. She rubs her hands over her face, trying to physically scrub her anxiety away.

Finally, she gets it into to her head that it's high time she clean her guns. She starts with her work sidearm, seeming as that's the one that sees the most daylight. She slowly but efficiently pulls the weapon apart, dry brushes over each piece. She inspects the bore and cleans that too, first with a solvent, wiping it out after and running an oiled cloth down through the barrel last. She sets her pieces up in order, closes her eyes and reassembles it from memory. Having cleaned this weapon hundreds of times, Nicole doesn't fiddle or falter with a single piece. 'Talk about a party trick... Actually with as many people who carry in Purgatory that actually might be appropriate,' Nicole thinks as she finishes wiping down the pistol of any excess oil. She moves on to her back-up weapon, a snub-nose .38 that was a hand-me-down of her father's from years before. She empties the cylinder and brushes through each slot, and realizing she hadn't fired it since she had last cleaned it, she wipes it down and reloads it. Her father's voice rings in her head scolding her for keeping a loaded gun in the house and she thinks, 'Well, Dad... You didn't live in Purgatory... This place is weird.' She decides it would be a good idea to check the 9 mil sub-compact pistol she keeps in her nightstand, too. After retrieving it, she empties the new weapon and is half way through cleaning it when she feels her phone buzzing in her pocket. She fishes it out and unlocks it without even looking at it.

Waves- We should talk, but not tonight. I need some time, ok?  12:31am

Immediately, Nicole begins typing her answer, not giving herself anytime to second guess herself or drag out this moment. She had a response pretty much already prepared for this. She sends it off with only a cursory glance for typos.

12:32am   Nicole- Whatever you need, Waves. I'll be here when you're ready.

When those three little dots appear for just a second, Nicole is startled. She's sure she saw them, but because they disappeared so quickly she starts to second guess herself when no message comes through. After several minutes of staring at the screen, she figures it was just a glitch or something and just as she sets the phone down a message comes through.

Waves- Thank you, Cole.  12:44am

 

Nicole's heart soars when she reads it. Only Hayley had ever called her that, so coming from Waverly, it made Nicole feel totally over-joyed and overwhelmed at the same time. The fact that Waverly had chosen now, when they were so unsteady, to call her Cole makes her feel real hope for the first time since that day in the hospital... _Don't think about that right now. She called you, Cole_... Nicole is blissed out for several minutes over that one word and it isn't until much later that she realizes she needs to go to bed if she's going to get enough sleep before her check-up with Doctor Hubbel the next day. She quickly reassembles her bedside pistol and cleans up her workspace and heads upstairs for her bedtime routine.

When she settles down in the bed, she pulls Waverly's blanket up over her and drifts off to sleep, with thoughts of hearing Waverly say that name, whispering it in her ear, shouting it from the rooftops, or moaning it in ecstasy.

~~~

The next day, Nicole finds herself sitting in the small waiting room of Doctor Hubbel's private practice. Chrissy is with her, because she's still not supposed to be driving, but hopefully that changes today. After several long minutes Nicole is finally called back to an exam room. When the nurse offers her a hospital style gown, she shudders. She slips out of her shirt and bra and into the gown, open to the back. She sits on the edge of the exam table and picks at her nails as she waits, suddenly sort of nervous about the doctor's assessment of her recovery. She hadn't really had much pain in the last couple days and yesterday she had felt practically normal.

There's a soft knock at the door and after a brief pause Doctor Hubbel pokes his head in. "Officer Haught, good to see you again. How are you feeling?" he asks.

Nicole smiles as she replies, "Please Doctor Hubbel, call me Nicole." When he nods she continues, "I feel pretty normal actually. The stitches don't itch anymore which is a huge relief. I... I really hope you're gonna take those out today."

Hubbel fully enters the room as she's speaking and steps up to the exam table. "Well, that’ll depend on what the wound looks like. Danielle was the one to check your stitches before you were discharged right?” Nicole simply nods and he continues, “Let me just get her in here and we'll see if we can't get those out for you then, shall we?" The sudden look of terror on the redhead's face throws the Doctor off his stride for a moment before he says, "Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit."

Nicole feels anything but relief at his words and quickly steadies her breathing and steels her nerves against what is sure to be a very uncomfortable few minutes. She braces herself when the door re-opens and Doctor Hubbel enters with the intern following closely behind. Hubbel instructs the redhead to lay down with her left side up. She complies and Nicole tries to look everywhere except at Danielle, until she can't look anywhere else as the intern takes her place in front of the instrument tray, directly in front of Nicole's face. Danielle looks down at her with a sheepish smile. Nicole does her best to return it. She can't help but watch as Danielle's eyes wander lower, trailing down her body, the interns eyes lingering as she takes in the expanse of stomach muscle that's in clear view from under the redhead's gown. Nicole blushes at the attention even though she knows that is definitely not the signal she needs to be sending. 

Thankfully, Doctor Hubbel speaks up, "Dani, I'll take the number 30 forceps and the number 2 scissors." Danielle snaps to and hands him the requested instruments. Nicole is surprised as he makes short work of removing the stitches and hands the tools back off to the intern. Danielle is looking at her with a soft sad smile as she absently tidies the instrument tray. Nicole is so caught up in her sad smile that she almost misses Hubbel’s next question, "How are your ribs feeling?"

It takes Nicole an extra moment to gather her thoughts, but finally she stutters a bit when she says, "Uh... Pretty good, I guess... I've never had bruised ribs before, so yeah, no frame of reference."

Doctor Hubbel just smiles down at her. "Well, lie on your back and we'll see where it still hurts," he says.

Nicole winces a little as she settles down on her back and the Doctor's face mirrors it. Nicole appreciates his sympathy and releases her breaths more evenly through the little twinges of pain as he pushes down slightly on each rib. After a couple minutes of gentle pressure moving around on her ribs, Nicole's nerves are raw from pushing through each random pain and she exhales harshly. 

Recognizing the signal, Hubbel lets up and says, "Well, you're a strong woman that's for sure. I know grown men who would cried over that exam... Anywhere particularly painful?"

"Not really, doc. I mean, yeah it hurts, but it's not unbearable... There were a couple spots that hurt worse than others, though," she replies as she presses two fingers to a spot about any inch above her lowest rib and slid them up a few inches. "Right through here is where it's worst." Nicole had traced the line of a still dark green, half-moon shaped bruise.

His voice is tender when he says, "Yeah, I expect it would still hurt there. I... I'm pretty sure that one came from the heel of a boot, if the bruise shape is any indication." He takes on a more official tone as he continues, "Well, Offi- Nicole, I'm very pleased with how your ribs are healing, so far and I'm sure by now you're wondering when you'll be able to get back to work..." Nicole nods enthusiastically, and he smiles. "I wouldn't see any reason why you couldn't report for light duty as early as day after tomorrow, if you think you're up to it."

Nicole's relieved smile spreads broad across her face and before she knows it she's hugging Doctor Hubbel tightly. He chuckles in her grip and she pushes back from him. "Sorry... I guess I'm just really looking forward to getting back to normal... Just to be clear, you're saying I can return to work on Thursday? I may need that in writing to convince Nedley I'm ready to be back... Wait! Does that mean I can drive and do other normal stuff now too?" she asks, tentatively.

"Well, you don't want to over exert yourself physically. True, you're not really at risk of re-injury at this point, but with any physical activity there's risk involved. Do you understand? Take it easy at the gym, limit roughhousing or uh, physical training or anything like that for at least another week, and uh, you might to restrict other physical activities, as well, until you finished healing," he replies with a suggestive look. Nicole just narrows her eyes at him and tilts her head to the side in confusion. She thinks she knows what he's getting at, so he sighs and says, "Uh... What I'm trying to oh-so-nonchalantly suggest is that you may want to use caution... in regards to sexual activity until you're completely healed."

Nicole and Danielle both snort at the blush that begins creep up in his cheeks. She decides to let him off the hook and says, "Message received, doc," with a mock salute.

"Good. I'd like to see you back in three weeks for a follow-up just to double check things and I'll send Danielle back in with your clearance for work," he says with a smile. Turning back from the door, he continues, "I'll see you soon, take care of yourself."

For a brief moment, Nicole thinks Danielle is going to follow him out, but she hangs back. She pauses at the door and after letting out a long sigh, she continues through the door without a word.

Nicole doesn’t let her mind linger on whatever the hell is going on in the young intern's mind. She sits quietly on the exam table and lets her mind wander to more pleasant things. The thought of being able to drive herself places and being able to go to the gym, even if she has to just walk the treadmill instead of her usual run, has her totally distracted when Danielle re-enters. The intern clears her throat and Nicole looks up at her, trying to keep her expression neutral, but she sees she's failed, when she catches that same sad expression underlying Danielle's polite smile. Nicole's smile fades as she realizes this girl really has it bad for her, and there's nothing the redhead can do about it, except to just keep pushing the girl away until she gets over it. Stiffly, Nicole rises from the exam table and takes a step towards the intern.

As Nicole begins to move, Danielle stiffens too and immediately holds the paper in her hand out to the redhead. With obvious tension in her voice, she says, "This is your clearance for work dated for Thursday. Do you need anything else?"  

"No, thank you, Danielle. Do you?" Nicole replies, meaning 'Does the office need anything else from me?'

Danielle huffs out a breathy laugh before she says, "I guess it would be too forward if I said 'Dinner with you?’ huh?"

Nicole can't help but to admire her boldness, knowing it takes a lot to put yourself out there like that. She smiles politely at the intern and delicately says, "Yeah... Still kind of involved with someone else."

"I figured, but you can't blame a girl for trying. Well, I hope your... friend knows how lucky she is..." Danielle says as she turns to leave, turning her head back over her shoulder as she says the word friend, almost like a dig at their unsteady status.

Nicole decides to ignore the jab and once the door is closed she quickly gets re-dressed and heads straight to the waiting room to grab Chrissy and get the hell out of there. Chrissy seems curious about their hasty exit and looks back just in time to see the intern peering out the reception window. The expression on the girl's face is sad but she shakes it off when she makes eye contact with the blonde and she hustles off.

Finally reaching the car, Chrissy says, "Wow, that little girl is really intense. The way she was looking at you just now... like you just kicked her puppy or something."

"Yeah... The worst part of that particular shituation is I'm gonna have to see her again in three weeks," Nicole says and when she looks at the blonde, the confusion in her eyes is obvious, so Nicole continues, "Just another follow up. I've got my return to work clearance right here, though" waving the paper in the air.

"Nicole that's great news! I know you can't wait," the blonde exclaims.

"Don't get too excited. Two more days... Thursday could be my first day back, assuming your dad accepts Doctor Hubbel's assessment," she says, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her like she did when she latched onto the Doc hugging him tight enough that it almost hurt. "Hey, can we swing by the station on the way back to my place? I wanna go ahead and give this to your dad."

"Yeah, of course," Chrissy says, as she makes the next right to head to the station.


	20. Chapter 20

The impromptu meeting with Nedley goes surprisingly well. He actually accepted the doctor's work release with a simple nod and a smile, saying "I'm covered for Thursday, but we'll be more than glad to have you back Friday for the morning shift. Sound good?" 

Nicole was a little disappointed, but knew better than to press her luck. "Sure thing, Sheriff. I'll see you Friday morning at eight."

When Chrissy drops her off at home, Nicole realizes she really doesn't want to be alone. She also knows Chrissy has a life outside of their friendship, but she can't help herself when she asks, "I think I may go get a drink at Shorty's tonight. I feel like a little celebration of my good health is in order. You wanna join me?"

"Oh. I wish I could. I made plans with Pete again tonight. He wants to take me out to a fancy dinner at this place in Calgary. He's picking me up in a little over an hour," the blonde replies, her expression a little sunken. "I mean, I could call and reschedule for another night, if you want..."

Nicole is touched by the offer, but she knows she could never ask Chrissy to do that. "No, no. Chrissy, please go to your fancy dinner. Maybe I'll call Wynonna... Oh, who'm I kidding, she'll probably already heading there tonight anyway..." Nicole laughs and after a moment or two, she continues, "Do you, uh... think Waves is working tonight?"

 "I'm not sure, but you shouldn't be worried about running into her. If she's there, keep it casual. You're just there getting a drink like any other customer," Chrissy suggests.

"Yeah, I'm not sure that's really even possible, but I'll think about it. Thanks again, Chrissy... I mean it, it's been a total blessing to have had you around this last week to help me out and I'm so very glad we're friends," the redhead says as she leans back into the car and wraps one arm around the blonde as she pushes her cheek up against Chrissy's. 

The blonde smiles at Nicole's easy closeness and when the redhead pulls back she says, "You don't have keep thanking me Nicole, but for the record, I'm really glad we're friends too." She glances at the clock on the dash and looks back at Nicole wide-eyed. "I'm sorry, Hun but I've gotta run if I have any hope of being ready when Pete comes to pick me up."

"No problem. Enjoy," Nicole says as she turns from the car and hustles up the steps to her door. She turns back and waves at the blonde as she backs down the driveway.

Once inside, Nicole goes to the kitchen and pulls a bottle of Tullamore Dew whiskey from her 'liquor cabinet,' meaning the little kitchen cabinet over the fridge. She pours herself a healthy amount into a snifter glass and swirls it around a couple of times before sipping. 'The 12 year stuff is so much smoother than the 14... Weird,' Nicole thinks as she settles in on the couch, phone in hand. "Maybe I should call Wynonna... I mean, what have I got to lose?" she says, chuckling to herself. 'Oh... Only the best thing that ever happened to you,' she scolds. After a few minutes, sitting quietly, sipping her whiskey she says, "Fuck it," and pulls her phone up and searches for Wynonna's contact. She holds her breath as she hears the phone ringing. By the third ring, she's sure Wynonna's not gonna answer and almost talks herself into hanging up, just as she hears a click and quiet breathing. 

"Uh... Hello? Nicole?"

Nicole snaps out of her own head and replies, "Yeah. Hey... Wynonna that you?"

"Yeah, dummy. You called me, right?" Wynonna snarks.

"I guess I did," Nicole replies with a chuckle. "Hey. What are you getting into tonight? I got good news from Doctor Hubbel today and I'm looking to do a little celebrating. Wanna meet me for a drink at Shorty's?"

"Ha. I'm already at Shorty's, so hell yeah. Get your Haught ass down here and I'll buy you your first round," Wynonna hoots with excitement.

Nicole laughs because she knows Wynonna never pays a tab at Shorty's. Her aunt owns the place for Christ's sake. She decides not to point that out though, and instead says, "Excellent. I'll head over in a few... Hey, is Waverly there by chance?"

"No, she's got the night off. I think she said she was just gonna hang around the homestead... You want me to call her and convince her to come down?" Wynonna asks, clearly keyed-up by the idea of rousing her sister out of the house.

Nicole considers for just a half a second before she says, "Nah. Don't worry about it. I'm sure I wouldn't want to hang out and get drunk at Shorty's if I worked there. Like all work, no play... not a good idea."

"Whatever, Haught-stuff. Just come on," Wynonna squeals into the phone and the background noise kicks up just before she hears sudden silence, and she knows Wynonna has hung up.

"Well... So far so good. Now what to wear..." Nicole says, as she makes her way upstairs.

She rummages through her closet, knowing she needs to pick something cool, but not too sexy in order to keep up with, but not necessarily compete with Wynonna. She also wants something comfortable, in case she gets roped into being out later than she’d probably like to be. Finally deciding on some black jeans, a white tank top with a green and grey plaid button down hanging open over top. Nicole quickly braids her hair, not bothering to turn the end under like she usually does for work, and grabs her brown leather bomber jacket on the way out the door.

She gets as far as the driveway before she goes back inside and straps on her ankle holster and slips the snub-nose .38 securely inside. She isn’t in the mood for any trouble, but if it appears at least she’ll be armed.

~~~

Hours later, Nicole and Wynonna are both quite drunk, the redhead from more than a few glasses of whiskey and Wynonna had thrown back so many shots of tequila that Nicole stopped counting somewhere around 10. Nicole breaks out through the front doors of the bar and stumbles out on to the sidewalk. Nicole catches sight of Wynonna’s merlot colored top and black jeans, leather jacket swinging in the breeze behind her about a half a block ahead. She shuffles her feet a little as she gathers momentum, following Wynonna as she hustles off as best she can towards Gus' truck. 

Nicole's voice is hoarse from calling out after the Earp. "Wynonna... No! You will not drive that truck anywhere tonight. You can sleep this off at the station... Or we can call someone to come take us home... But you are not getting behind that wheel," she barks, as Wynonna works to get the key in the driver's door lock.

Finally catching up, Nicole shoulders Wynonna slightly to the side and grabs the keys. She overcompensates a little and ends up swirling around following the movement of her arm. The world spins and she pushes her back against the truck and sinks to the ground, with an 'oomph.' Wynonna manages to keep her balance, but once she realizes Nicole is sitting down she decides that looks like a good idea and slips down beside her. Nicole, breathing heavy, breaks the almost awkward silence, "So... station or call a friend? Those are our options..."

Wynonna's head lolls forward and says, "I'm not sure about you, but embarrassing myself in front whoever is on desk duty tonight sounds better than having to face my sister. Waverly is fiery when she's mad. Don't know that you've seen that yet but it's pretty scary. She took a couple shots at Champ and me when she thought Champ was cheating on her with some floozy in her bed. I was pretty sure I was gonna die, in bed with Champ Hardy." Wynonna visibly shudders and shakes her head, trying to shake of those mental images.

Nicole really hadn't even thought about who they would call, but when Wynonna mentions her, Waverly is all the redhead can think about. She gets lost in thoughts of what she would say if Waverly came to pick them up. She doesn't even acknowledge that Wynonna kept speaking after the mention of Waverly's name. She wonders, 'Would their next conversation mirror their last one, with Waverly jumping to conclusions and walking away jealous and hurt, again?' She worries that Waverly would assume the worst about her getting drunk with Wynonna; that she might actually be trying to get in the older Earp's pants. Nicole shakes off that thought, not that Wynonna isn't hot, it's just she's so... Wynonna; brash, crude, totally insensitive sometimes, both insecure and aggressive, if that's possible, just... Wynonna. The idea of sleeping with the older Earp is totally ridiculous and Nicole laughs out loud in response to her own musings. Sleeping with Wynonna would be like sleeping with your best friend, comfortable sure, but awkward as hell after.

After another minute of contemplation, Nicole finally says, "Yeah well... I'm pretty sure I need a bed. The couch in the BBD office only sleeps one and... and the only other one I know of is in Nedley's office." She chokes a little on her words, thinking back to her dream, vision... _whatever_... of Wynonna's sleeping form curled up on the couch. "I'm gonna call somebody... Uh... Who should I call?"

"Ghostbusters!?" Wynonna shouts at the top of her lungs and even though Nicole knows nobody at the station would openly give the Earp shit about how drunk she had gotten, she decides she's going to save Wynonna the knowing looks and sly glances that would be sure to follow her drunken stumbling through the office. 

"Wynonna... Quiet down. Fine, I'm calling Waverly. I know you don't wanna but at least she'll judge you to your face instead of it doing behind your back like most everyone else will," Nicole says, as she pulls her phone from her pocket.

She realizes she has missed two calls and text, all from Waverly. The calls were first only a couple minutes apart, followed by an immediate text.

Waves- Where are you? Is Wynonna with you?   10:31pm

"Oh shit... Well your sister already knows we're drunk... Fuck, Gus musta called her..." Nicole exclaims, shaking Wynonna's shoulder, eyes wide with anxiety.

"Calm down, Haught-Mess. Just let her know where we are and she'll come get us and then we can sleep this off like it never happened," Wynonna whines, obviously feeling embarrassed, but she's holding it together better than the redhead.

Nicole worries her bottom lip as she quickly types out her response.

 

 

10:45pm   Nicole- We're down Main street from Shorty's towards the Military Surplus store. Look for Gus's truck.

 

Within moments the sharp reply comes through.

 

 

Waves- Stay put. I mean it.   10:45pm

 

 

"Oh fuck, Wynonna. We are so in trouble. I think Waves is really pissed," Nicole says, completely exacerbated.

 

Wynonna looks up at the redhead, brow furrowed in thought. Nicole is studying the creases on the Earp's face when she realizes what she just said. Stammering a bit, Nicole tries to find some way to explain away her suddenly very familiar tone in regards to the younger Earp. Thankfully, screeching tires breaks their silent staring contest and when Waverly's Jeep's headlights sweep over them they cover their faces with their hands and look down, trying desperately to avoid the searing brightness of the Jeep's headlights.

Waverly jumps out of the SUV and rushes over to the two drunks. Even in her cute kitten pajamas and oversized slippers, Waverly looks like a force to be reckoned with. "What the hell were you thinking? I know you two SHITHEADS weren't actually gonna try to drive like this," the brunette yells, most of her focus on Wynonna, only glancing at Nicole at the end of her outburst. She quickly looks away as her fists clench tightly. "Wynonna! What the fuck? Are you trying to kill yourself?" When Wynonna doesn't answer, only slumping further against the side of the truck, Waverly tilts her head back and tries to suck in a cleansing breath. Mostly that just seems to make her angrier. "And you..." She turns back to the redhead and levels her with a seething glare and spits, "What the hell, Nicole? I... She's my sister..." Waverly's voice breaks and Nicole's heart sinks into her stomach and she's suddenly getting nauseous. Before Nicole can recover Waverly spits again, "Get in the Jeep. I'm taking you both home..." her voice trailing off as she turns sharply towards the driver's door. She slides into the seat and slams the door behind her.

Nicole and Wynonna are both speechless for a moment, frozen, staring at where Waverly had just been. When the Jeep lurches away a few feet with a jump, they stumble over each other as they rush to get to the SUV. Waverly doesn't look over as they get in, and Nicole is feeling worse and worse by the second. Once she's settled in the backseat she immediately wants to curl in on herself and sob for a while... _This isn't how this is supposed to be happening. It's supposed to be easier than this, right?_... 

Pulling herself together a little bit, Nicole focuses on the soft music coming from the stereo. It takes her a moment to realize it's her own voice she's hearing, the words are her's too; it's one of her songs for Waverly, Little Love. The volume is so low that she almost starts to sing along just to hear the words better... _Hey there, Little Love... Yeah, you took me for a ride... All the way across the country and you were waiting for our love to be realized... But you hardly ever even looked at me, yeah, but you gave me no reason to be afraid... And when you finally put your hands on me, oh yeah, you know I thought for sure, I thought for sure I'd been saved_... 

Nicole is so caught up in the words and the feelings they stir inside her that she doesn't realize until it's too late that Waverly is going to miss the turn toward her house. She pulls in a quick breath to speak, but Waverly cuts her off. "No, Nicole... You're not going home tonight. We're all going to the homestead 'cause you're too drunk to be trusted not to do something stupid." When Nicole tries to rebuke her, Waverly just holds up a hand and barks, "No discussion... My way or the highway." 

Nicole is not stupid enough to argue with that. She knows exactly what that could mean... _Accept it or we really are done_... She slumps in her seat and mumbles a quiet 'ok.'

The rest of the ride passes in near silence, her voice occasionally crooning softly from the stereo. Her rendition of Ani DiFranco's Overlap begins to play and Nicole realizes Waverly must have the C/D set to play on random. This is a little disappointing to Nicole because she had planned it to play in a particular order, but she feels herself sigh at the thought of Waverly listening to it at all. When the music starts to carry her away again, the soft snores coming from Wynonna break her concentration. Nicole closes her eyes as she thinks, 'I bet I'll end up having to carry her to bed... Too bad I'd rather be carrying Waverly there instead, maybe with her legs wrapped around my hips, her hands around my neck, dipping under the collar of my shirt to touch the bare skin underneath. My hands kneading up her thighs to her butt, helping to hold her up. Our kissing becoming more and more heated, as we cross the threshold into her room. Pressing her up against the barely closed door, her warmth pressing against mine and pressing and pressing...' A low moan slips from Nicole's lips before she can stifle it and she lamely tries to cover it with a cough. She looks up to see if Waverly is looking at her in the rear view mirror and she freezes. The eyes that meet her's are blazing hot with want. 

Nicole quickly looks away and when she chances a glance back at the mirror a moment later, Waverly is watching the road again. Feeling a little bold, she watches Waverly's face in the mirror. She's smiling, grinning really, in between mouthing the lyrics to the song. Nicole smiles too, thinking that either Waverly hadn't heard her little slip or if she had she didn't mind, maybe even welcomed the little noise. She is a little shocked that her mind would go rolling off that deep into the gutter that quickly, and she thinks, 'Maybe I'm a little more drunk than I know.' Nicole realizes that despite her usual ability to control herself, she is flushed with an almost overwhelming heat at the thoughts, and she forces herself to quickly replace fantasy with reality. She reasons with herself. She could barely even call Waverly her friend right now. She's talked to Chrissy more today than she has Waverly in over a week. Of course, she is excited about the prospect of sleeping under the same roof as Waverly, but the nagging feeling that this may be the only chance she gets to do that is crippling. 

She's lost in those debilitating thoughts when the closing of the driver's door snaps her out of her own head. Waverly is already crossing towards the porch, when she leans up to check on Wynonna. The Earp is still fast asleep, like dead to the world asleep. Nicole shakes her shoulder and Wynonna doesn't react at all. Nicole huffs and slides across the back seat and slips out the driver's door. The redhead circles the Jeep and opens the passenger's door. Again, Wynonna makes no response to Nicole's shakes and the redhead decides she will be carrying Wynonna, as it's much too cold tonight for Wynonna to just sleep it off curled up in the passenger's seat. Nicole gets an arm around her under the shoulders and the other under her knees and scoops the Earp into her arms. It's not easy carrying her, but Nicole manages until she gets to the door. She nudges the door to see if it's open and of course it's not. She sets Wynonna down gently on the porch swing next to the door. She moves back and opens the door slightly, only to return to it with Wynonna in her arms again a moment later. As she crosses into the house, she hears a sputtered cough and when she looks up she sees Waverly watching her from the kitchen, two folded blankets in her arms. The look on her face stops Nicole in her tracks. It comes and goes so fast Nicole thinks maybe she imagined it, but when Waverly quickly looks away she knows what she saw; a brief, but intense flash of wanton desire.

Nicole puffs out her chest slightly, flexing her muscles a bit, and asks, playfully, "Which way to her room, huh? She's not light, you know?" She smiles brightly when Waverly looks back at her with an answering smile on her face.

"On nights like tonight I usually just leave her wherever she passes out, but I guess that's maybe ‘cause I can't do that," Waverly responds gesturing briefly to Nicole's strength with a blush. She moves away from the redhead towards the back to the house. She pauses at the bottom of the stairs and gestures towards the curtain separating the next room, "Wynonna's bed is in there."

Nicole approaches and brushes against the wall in an effort to pass by Waverly without touching her. Waverly notices and quirks an eyebrow, but doesn't comment. Nicole slips into Wynonna's bedroom and laughs quietly. 'Just figures that tonight would've gone like this... Tucking the wrong Earp into bed,' she thinks as she settles Wynonna on the bed and bends down to take off her boots. She thinks about undressing the Earp further but decides against it, choosing her own dignity over Wynonna's comfort. She turns quickly and exits the room the way she came to find Waverly standing in the same spot as before only holding two glasses of water. The brunette offers one to Nicole, before sliding past the redhead, being sure to brush slightly against her shoulder as she passes.

Nicole's entire left side tingles at the not-so-casual touch. She turns to watch as Waverly slips into her sister's room. Nicole takes the moment alone to down the glass of water, knowing she'll be dehydrated and likely hungover tomorrow if she doesn't find a little balance before she goes to bed. Empty glass in hand, she makes her way to the kitchen and refills it. 

After a couple moments standing at the sink, looking out the window at the barn, Nicole hears the sweetest words she's ever heard come from somewhere behind her, "Nicole, where'd you go? Cole?" Waverly's voice gets louder as she speaks and Nicole is barely able to wipe the shit eating grin off her face before the brunette comes around the corner into the kitchen. 

Waverly pauses in the doorway and leans up against the wood and watches as Nicole fidgets with her mostly empty water glass. Taking pity on the obviously drunk and probably nervous redhead, she says, "You should finish that glass and have another before we go to bed."

Nicole's eyes widen at the mention of them going to bed, but she pushes through it, "Uh... yeah this is my second glass... I'll probably bring another glass with me to... uh... I- Where am I sleeping...?"

"Refill that glass and you'll find out," Waverly replies with a smirk and turns and walks back towards the rest of the house. 

Nicole stares down at the glass for about two seconds before she gulps the water down, quickly refills it and rushes to catch up with the brunette. She figures, 'This isn't how I expected this to go, but I just need to go with the flow. Be cool. No pressure. Just do whatever she tells you whenever she tells you.' That thought leads her mind directly towards the gutter again, but she just blinks harshly a few times and follows Waverly to the stairs again. 

They stand there for a second before Waverly finally says, "Well... I don't really know how to say this, but there are two beds up there, but only one of them is gonna get slept in."

Nicole is blown away. She was definitely not expecting Waverly to be so forward about them sleeping together. The shock is apparent on her face when she looks down into the brunette's eyes. The expression she finds there confuses her. The redhead expected desire or want or even lust to have fueled that statement, but the tears glistening in those beautiful dark grayish-green eyes forces Nicole to take a step forward. She grasps Waverly's upper arms lightly and says, "It's alright Waves... I can take the couch, ok?"

Waverly pulls away slightly and sputters as she says, "I- I'm not sure... sure you'll get any sleep on that old thing. It's really not much more than a bench with a couple cushions on it and it's awful short... You'd have to sleep all curled up. That can't be a good idea for your still-healing ribs, right? Not like a night of heavy drinking is really good for you either, I guess, but..." Waverly pauses and Nicole opens her mouth to say something, but decides against it when the brunette's eyes flutter closed. "No, Nicole... You.... You'll be much more comfortable in my bed... I mean, what I was trying to say before. There are two beds up there, but..." Her voice squeaks a bit and a tear rolls down her cheek. Nicole pulls her close again and wrapped in the warmth of Nicole's arms she continues, "The other bed is... was Willa's..."

Nicole immediately feels stupid. She assumed Waverly had been just trying to use a line on her, but really Waverly was trying to reveal some of her truth to Nicole. Nicole knows she shouldn't push Waverly right now for more information about Willa, so she just stands there hugging the brunette, waiting to see if she'll continue. After more than a couple minutes Nicole finally just squeezes Waverly a little tighter before releasing her. Looking down into her eyes now Nicole can see the tears have dried up and she feels relieved to see the brunette calm again. Finally feeling like they might be getting closer to being on the same page, Nicole says, "Ok, Waves... Lead the way."


	21. Chapter 21

Waverly smiles softly and turns to the stairs and begins her climb. Nicole manages to keep her eyes on her own feet for the first few steps, but on the fourth step, she feels herself getting too close to the brunette. She looks up slightly and finds Waverly's bare foot on the step just above her's. She can't help herself as her eyes drift up and up and up. She briefly remembers the two of them in opposite positions on the stairs of her apartment not so long ago. The hungry look she'd seen in the youngest Earp's eyes in the kitchen that night flashes through her mind and a moment later Waverly raises her foot to mount the next step and the swell of her ass almost brushes against Nicole's nose. Totally entranced, Nicole muses to herself, 'Wynonna's ass may be top shelf, but Waverly's is more like a glass of 12 year old Special Reserve Tullamore Dew that I love so much; full and complex, with character, maturity and a certain delicate spiciness.' As she stares, she's unintentionally leaning forward. 

 

Thankfully, Waverly had taken that step ahead, so Nicole doesn't totally make a fool out of herself by nuzzling her nose against the firm backside. She clenches her fists at her sides, restraining herself from simply reaching out to touch it... _Get your shit together... Her way or the highway, remember... Whatever she wants, whenever she wants... No more, no less_... Nicole steels herself against her temptations and by the time they crest the top of the stairs her calm facade is back. 

 

The brunette flips her hair over her opposite shoulder causing it to flick out against Nicole's arms and chest. Nicole sucks in a quick breath and Waverly peeks at her over her shoulder. The brunette looks just in time to see Nicole's whole body shudder. The smirk on Waverly's face is mischievous and smug, but reassuring at the same time, like she flipped her hair like that on purpose; to elicit that exact response. Nicole clenches her fists again to keep her hands to herself and Waverly notices that too. The brunette quickly turns her attention back to the hallway and proceeds down towards her bedroom.

 

When Waverly opens the door, Nicole half expects the brunette to pounce on her the second the door is closed again, given her obviously intentional teasing. Instead, Waverly walks calmly across the room and begins rummaging through her chest of drawers, pulling out more clothes than she'll need for sleeping. She reaches her hand out towards the redhead, and finally Nicole realizes what's happening. She reaches her own hand out and takes the baggy track shorts and oversized t-shirt from Waverly's grip. 

 

Nicole is just staring at the garments for a second when she catches movement out of the corner of her eye. She looks up and Waverly's shirt is already halfway over her head. Nicole quickly spins around, and covers her eyes with Waverly's loaned clothes in her hand. All too late Nicole realizes her mistake, when she takes in what should be a calming breath only to be overwhelmed with the scent of Waverly. The scent is lacking though, different from breathing in Waverly herself. The sweet  smell is there, but the honeysuckle smell she remembers is gone. She takes in another breath and rationalizes; the csweet smell must be her laundry detergent, and the honeysuckle must just be her. 

 

Nicole is broken out of her thoughts by Waverly clearing her throat before she says, "You can change clothes if you want, I'll be in the bathroom if you need anything." She crosses to a door that Nicole hadn't noticed and exits through it, closing the door behind her.

 

Suddenly alone, Nicole feels like she might be on the verge of hyperventilating. She's alone in Waverly's room, sort of... _definitely_... drunk, and she's expected to just sleep in that bed right there with Waverly. Her eyes linger over the bed, taking in the simple white quilted duvet, the mix-matched pillows, and the bronzed head and foot boards. Taking a more calculated look at it, she figures it's a double not a queen, which really the difference is only six inches in width, but as a girl in college had pointed out years ago, a certain six inches could make all the difference. She laughs almost bitterly at the memory, before she pulls herself back to the present and decides to refocus on the task at hand. First things first, she quickly goes over her options for securing her pistol for the night. There’s definitely nowhere to lock it up, so tucked down into her one of her boots will have to do. She knows how Waverly and Wynonna are about guns, so she figures her loaded .38 is actually probably the smallest caliber one among all the loaded weapons in the house. Realizing she’s spent too much time thinking instead of changing, she strips off her boots and socks, tucking the .38 and its slim ankle holster down in her left boot with her socks stuffed in on top. She quickly strips off her outerwear, bomber jacket, plaid button-up and jeans carefully folded and placed on a chair in the corner of the room, boots tucked neatly underneath. She pulls her tank top off and throws it on the folded pile before slipping her hands around her back to unclasp her bra. She pulls it down off her arms and tucks it inside her jacket and quickly slips the tank top back on. She chuckles to herself when she acknowledges that for just one second, she had been in just her boy-shorts in Waverly's bedroom. A flush of heat spreads across her skin when her thoughts turn to hope that this isn’t going to be a one-time occurrence. Her skin reddens in a blush as that heat spirals down to culminate deep in her body. A sudden wetness develops in her core. The door on the other side of the room re-opens behind her and she scrambles to pull on the track shorts Waverly had given her. 'No... Really... Get your shit together right now... No more of those thoughts 'til she gives you a reason to have them,' Nicole thinks, chastising herself, before she turns around. 

 

Waverly is standing in the doorway, backlit from the light fixture over the bathroom sink and it makes her seem ethereal, real but not solid. She's wearing a t-shirt that's at least two sizes too big and a pair of leggings that cling to every curve and dip. Nicole is mesmerized as she saunters into the room and sits on the bed, tucking one of her feet under her with the other hanging off the side of the bed. The brunette begins running a brush through her hair, bringing to fall over her shoulder. When Nicole finally looks up at her face, she's grinning from ear to ear as she watches Nicole watch her. Nicole tries to gather her thoughts and when she gets a coherent one together she speaks before she has a chance to run it through her 'that sounds dumb' filter. She blurts out, "You don't have an extra toothbrush do you? I... my mouth feels kinda gross right now."

 

Waverly snickers for a moment and Nicole flushes a little redder in response. The brunette takes pity on her and says, "Yeah, I think I’ve got a spare brush under the sink, right hand side."

 

Nicole nods and hustles off to the bathroom. Once inside with the door closed, she realizes what Waverly was grinning at, staring down at her hardened nipples that are quite obvious through her thin tank top. "Oh god," Nicole whispers as she tries to think about anything other than Waverly, probably also bra-less, no more than ten feet away. She remembers that Waverly had handed her a t-shirt and she curses herself for not putting it on. If she did so now though, it might send the wrong signal, like she's ashamed of her body or something. She wonders briefly if this place really is heaven or if it's hell. 'The name Purgatory definitely fits,' Nicole thinks as she digs out the spare toothbrush from under the sink and begins a vigorous scrubbing of her teeth. When she's finished she just stares into her own eyes in the mirror, repeating to herself over and over in her head... _Whatever she wants, whenever she wants... No more, No less_...

 

Finally, Nicole emerges from the bathroom, and Waverly is curled up on the far side of the bed, back facing Nicole. The redhead whispers, "Waverly... Waves, you awake?" When she doesn't get a response she crosses to the bed and climbs in, snuggling slightly under the blanket, with her back to the little brunette. She sighs when Waverly doesn't stir at the intrusion and she reaches over to push down on the switch on the bedside lamp, plunging the room into almost total darkness. The only light left in the room is from a nightlight shining into the room from the bathroom. Nicole lies there for a minute or two, stiff as a board, not wanting to move a muscle in hopes of not waking Waverly. Staring off into the semi-darkness, Nicole pushes away all thoughts of the things she wants to have and experience with the little brunette. Instead she concentrates on her breathing, timing her breaths to her steady but fast heartbeat, like she has so, so many times before. The familiar ritual is calming and eventually she forces herself to settle into the bed, slipping off of her side and on to her back, arms pulled in close to her sides. A few more minutes pass and Nicole is starting to relax enough to maybe actually sleep when Waverly stirs. The brunette shivers in her sleep and rolls over onto her stomach, pulling more of the duvet over top of herself and off of Nicole. The redhead doesn't mind though, she's just a guest here so she'll take what she can get. When the brunette huffs out a little relaxed breath, Nicole assumes she's asleep again and leans her head up to try to assess their new proximity. Eyes mostly adjusted to the darkness, she can just make out how close their hands are to each other. Another two inches and they'd be on top of each other. Nicole wills herself not to move, just stares at their hands; so close, yet so far.

 

Nicole ultimately relaxes her head back down onto the pillow. She'll feel the strain in her neck tomorrow, but watching Waverly sleep is totally worth it. Just as she's about to drift of, Waverly stirs again and slides her hand under Nicole's, opening her fingers so Nicole's slip in between, interweaving their fingers slightly awkwardly, but to Nicole it feels like they were made to fit together. Nicole's larger palm covers the back of Waverly's more petit one, embracing and protecting it. When Waverly squeezes her fingers together lightly, Nicole can't stop herself and gives a gentle squeeze back. Her eyes flare wider than ever before at the sensation. She feels like her insides have grown wings and are trying to fly away, only to flutter to a stop when her mind begins racing with so many unanswered questions. 'Is she really asleep or just faking it, so she'll have an excuse if she regrets this in the morning? Is this just for tonight? Could being 'just friends' with this beautiful, strong, courageous woman ever be enough? Wait, are we even friends?' She tries to concentrate on only the good thoughts and leans up again to look at their entangled fingers. All she knows for sure is it's been far too long since she had touched Waverly, even in this seemingly innocent and possibly plutonic way, and now that she has this again, she never wants to let go. 

 

 

~~~

 

 

When Nicole wakes, her eyes are sticky and her eyelids feel glued together. 'Of course, I forgot to take my contacts out last night and my eyes are more dehydrated from drinking... Stupid freaking contacts,' she thinks as she rolls over and begins to pad towards the bathroom. She blinks harshly trying to clear her vision and when she reaches where the bathroom should be, she stubs her toe against a big peice of furniture. Cursing her damaged vision again, she realizes she's not exactly sure where she is. Nicole stops to think and she really only remembers bits of pieces from last night. Wynonna storming out of the bar, muttering under her breath something about 'Maybe being bad really is better... Free... Need to be free.' Next, Nicole remembers Waverly standing over her and Wynonna, screaming about what shitheads they were for trying to drive drunk. She remembers following Waverly up the stairs, and the unfulfilled desire she felt for the little brunette. After cresting the top of the stairs though, she can't remember a thing. Nicole is drawn out of her memories by an overwhelming feeling of dread. 'Oh god... Tell me I didn't do something last night that I'm gonna regret for the rest of my life,' Nicole thinks and is suddenly aware that she's not alone. Mostly blind anyway, she reaches up and peels her contacts out of her eyes and begins to blink furiously doing her best to clear the gunk left behind.

 

A voice breaks the silence, "Yeah... I do hope you didn't do anything last night that'll force me make you regret it. I've got a really big gun remember?'"

 

"Wynonna? That you?" Nicole asks, moving her head about trying to zero in on where Wynonna is. She can't even be bothered that she had been thinking aloud again. At least she hadn't continued that thought, that sleeping with Waverly, at least for the first time, in any kind of inebriated state, would have been a huge mistake, one she would never be able to take back. 

 

"Yeah, Haughty. Nice tank top, by the way," Wynonna says from somewhere to her left.

 

Nicole turns in the direction of the sound and she can sort of see the blob that is Wynonna moving off to her right. "Wynonna, what are you talking about?"

 

"Nicole, your tank top is... uhh... kinda tight and the white isn't really your friend right now either," Wynonna explains.

 

"Oh god!" Nicole exclaims, crossing her arms across her chest quickly. She's struck with the memory of rushing into the bathroom the night before, seeing her taut nipples through the fabric of the tank top, skin reddened in a blush from having Waverly grinning so widely at the sight. Mild embarrassment the night before is total mortification now. It is one thing for Waverly to get a good look, but with Wynonna it feels like having her own sister checking her out. "Wynonna can you just gimme a break, please... I just woke up, after a night where I drank more than I have in a long time, in a strange bed and I can't see. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not all together right now."

 

"Yeah, yeah. I guess I can cut you some slack, but maybe you should get dressed before Waverly gets back, she went out to get us some breakfast and coffee from the coffee shop... And before you ask she said she'd swing by your place too. You know, feed your cat, grab your glasses," Wynonna says, as she starts backing out of the room.

 

"Hey... Which way are you clothes?" Nicole asks, sheepishly.

 

"Turn to your ten o'clock and walk forward... maybe six steps. That should put you right in front of your clothes," Wynonna snarks, leaving the redhead alone again.

 

Nicole follows the older Earp's instructions and eventually she reaches out into the lightly colored blob in front of her. Sure enough, her fingers slide over her jacket, flannel shirt and jeans. She flips the pile over and grasps around for her bra. Getting dressed mostly by touch isn't as easy as one would think, but Nicole has done it enough times that it doesn't faze her much. She slips her tank top off and as she pulls the bra up over her breasts she hears a low whistle from the direction of the door. She smiles at the whistle and calmly finishes hooking the clasps on the bra before she turns around. She figures it's just Wynonna, but on the off chance it's Waverly in the room, she wants to face her, wants the little brunette to know for sure she's not ashamed of her body and appreciates it being appreciated.

 

When she does turn, she puts her hands on her hips, resting on the waistband of Waverly's short track shorts. A snort comes from the door, but no words to indicate which sister it is. 

 

"Who's there?" Nicole asks, before she realizes she's alone again. She finishes getting dressed, taking extra care in securing her .38 to her leg just above the ankle. She folds her sleep clothes and leaves them on the edge of the bed. She proceeds slowly out into the hall. She feels her way down the hallway to the top of the stairs. When she arrives there, she hears soft whispering coming from the kitchen. 

 

"So... What happened between you and Haught-stuff last night?"

 

"Uh... Nothin, Wyn... Duh. I mean... She's a girl. It was kinda like a drunk high school sleepover. We're friends, so it’s no big thing..." 

 

Before Wynonna could respond Nicole descends the stairs, taking her time, but also making sure she makes as much noise as possible. Waverly's words sting a little because now that she had some time to think about the night before, she remembers the little looks of desire that had come from the younger woman, the mischievous smirk when she intentionally flicked her hair at Nicole, the way the little brunette just stripped out of her shirt inviting Nicole to look if she choose to, the hand clasped tightly in her's as she fell asleep. Not wanting to get lost in those thoughts right now, she plows ahead towards the kitchen, trying not to bump into every piece of furniture on the way. She just wants to get through breakfast and get out of there so she could wallow in her disappointment in private.

 

When she rounds the corner into the kitchen Waverly is already approaching her, and her hand is suddenly enclosed in Waverly's tight fist. The brunette squeezes a couple times before she opens Nicole's fingers and slips the redhead's glasses into her hand. Nicole sighs in relief and immediately slips on her glasses.

 

"Oh thank god," Nicole exclaims as her vision adjusts to her glasses. She blinks a couple times before realizing both Earps are staring at her. Blushing a little she says, "Thank you too, Waverly."

 

"No problem. Mimir was kinda pissed though. I think she got used to you being around all the time. It was all I could do to get out of the house without her trying to come with me," Waverly replies, trying to draw attention away from her not-so-subtle blush at Nicole's tender thanks.

 

Wynonna breaks them out of their little moment with the rustling of the paper bag on the counter. "Bagels... Really Waves, where are the doughnuts?"

 

Waverly turns back to her sister and says, indignantly, "I wanted bagels Wynonna so that's what I got... The french toast one is for you though and there's butter and syrup in the other bag."

 

"Well then, thanks kid," Wynonna says, before tearing into the other bag.

 

Nicole slips up to the counter and peers down into the bag to see what other kinds of bagels Waverly bought. The brunette approaches her left side and says, "I got an everything, a plain and a salt one 'cause I didn't know which one you'd like."

 

Nicole looks over at her and smiles sweetly. "Which one did you get for yourself?"

 

"I'm partial to the everything ones, but I could eat any of the three," Waverly replies nonchalantly.

 

Nicole begins to pull the everything bagel out and places it on a plate. When she turns to face Waverly fully, she notices the surprised look on the brunette's face. Nicole smiles widely, dimples on display, and hands the plate over to Waverly. She then turns back to the bag and pulls out the plain one for herself.

 

"Cream cheese?" Nicole asks.

 

Waverly just points at the bag Wynonna is rummaging through. Wynonna pipes up, "I've got plain, garlic and herb, and strawberry here... Which one you want, Nicole?"

 

Nicole just looks over at Waverly and when the brunette simply smirks at the redhead, she responds, “I'll take the strawberry, Wynonna. Thanks.”

 

The older Earp tosses the single serving pack of strawberry cream cheese over to the redhead and tosses the plain one to Waverly. Nicole winks at Waverly before turning her full attention to her breakfast. After a moment or two, a cup of coffee appears in Nicole's dodgy peripheral vision. She looks over and sees Waverly sliding the cup across the butcher's block table toward her. Nicole gladly accepts it and when she sips it, she smiles into the cup. It's perfect, just like she would have made it herself. She looks around the sides of the cup and sees her name written on it in Chrissy's neat script. She'd have to remember to tell her friend what a great cup of coffee she'd made.

 

The three of them lean up around the kitchen counter as they eat. Wynonna and Waverly chat about their plans for the day. Waverly has to work the evening shift and Wynonna should probably be at work already. Dolls would surely be expecting her before noon today and if she is going to make it she needs to hustle up.

 

Nicole is quiet through their conversation, but when Wynonna exits the room, Waverly turns to look at her with an expectant look. When Nicole looks up at her, Waverly breaks the silence saying, "Well, Officer Haught, what are your plans for today?"

 

Smiling at the moniker, she replies, "Actually, it may sound kinda boring, but my main goal for today is to make it through a work-out at the gym without hurting myself. I wanna try to get back to my routine before I go back to work tomorrow. I think I might swing by the hardware store too and see if they finally have that part I need to fix my garage door opener."

 

Waverly chuckles and pats Nicole's upper arm, saying "Well... Good luck with that."

 

"Hey, the doc said I can get back to normal and that's the plan. I've gotta make up for the last two weeks of relative inactivity," Nicole says, almost indignantly.

 

Waverly backs up a step or two, holding her hands up in defense, "Ha ha. Yeah, 'cause obviously you're terribly weak. I mean, you can only carry Wynonna's dead weight for a few minutes at a time... comfortably anyway."

 

"Yeah well... when I was in the Army, I coulda carried Wynonna for a couple miles like that and barely broken a sweat. Now, I'm just trying to keep fit enough to do my job," Nicole says, smiling sheepishly.

 

"Well, I suppose that's a good thing. Maybe all those muscles will come in handy someday," Waverly responds with a wink.

 

They fall silent again for a few moments until Wynonna emerges from her room, shouting, "Waves, are you gonna run me into town or am I gonna have to take the bike?"

 

Waverly chuckles, and calls out to her sister, "What do you want to do Wynonna? It's supposed to be like 60 today and no rain in sight."

 

"Sweet," the older Earp replies, swinging into the kitchen. "You wanna ride along, Haughty?"

 

Nicole chances a quick glance at Waverly and seeing her encouraging nod, Nicole exclaims, "Hell! Yeah! Dude!"

 

When Wynonna runs for the barn to pull the bike out, Nicole lags behind a moment, alone in the kitchen with Waverly, again. She turns to the brunette and takes a deep breath. She's not sure how this is going to come out but there's so much in her head and her heart she just has to get some of it out. "Waves, I just wanted to say thank you for last night. You were right, I was pretty drunk and I appreciate you taking me on as your responsibility. I- I also wanted to say thank you for sharing your bed with me. I can only imagine how I'd feel if I had tried to sleep on that couch last night." She gestures toward the bench sofa in the living room warily. She turns back to the brunette and Waverly has stepped closer and Nicole can't help but reach out and take the brunette's hand in hers. "And thanks for this... I know we may not be totally on the same page about what's going on between us, but falling asleep holding your hand last night... it-  it was the best sleep I've gotten in a really, really long time."

 

Waverly is briefly speechless. Nicole is so tender, yet strong; confidant, yet patient; seemingly everything Waverly could want in a relationship, but a look of nagging worry crosses her face. Nicole sees it and she pulls away slightly, not enough to make her let go of Waverly's hand, but enough to let Waverly know she has space if she needs it. 

 

When Waverly shudders, Nicole backs away further, releasing the brunette's hand as casually as she can. It hurts to let go of Waverly but it's clear that the little Earp isn't ready yet and Nicole resigns herself to wait until Waverly's ready to talk to her more in depth. 

 

Thankfully, Wynonna returns a moment later and says, "You ready, Haughty?"

 

Nicole shakes her head at what is obviously one of Wynonna's favorite name puns, and shrugs, knowing that pointing out how much she doesn't feel like a “hottie” right now will only make Wynonna want to call her that all the more. She turns back to Waverly for just another second and then says simply, "Thanks again, Waves. I guess I'll, uh, see you around, right?"

 

"Indeed, you will Officer Haught. Have fun at the gym?" Waverly replies.

 

With a brief salute, Nicole says, "Will do, ma'am. You have a nice day, now." 

 

With those words, Nicole exits and Wynonna follows shortly thereafter. Nicole thanks her lucky stars that soon she and Wynonna will be riding the elder Earp's motorcycle and the silence between them won't be as awkward as it is now.

 

They settle onto the bike, Nicole on the back, Wynonna driving. Nicole wraps her arms lightly around Wynonna's waist, but her grip gets instinctively tighter as Wynonna takes off towards town. Nicole notes Wynonna's steady and graceful handling of the bike and mostly uses those thoughts to distract herself from how close you have to be to someone to ride on the back of a motorcycle. 'Thank god she zipped up that jacket... That black lace shirt wouldn't really leave me much of a place to put my hands that wasn't pretty much bare skin,' Nicole thinks as they cruise through town. Finally they reach the parking lot behind Shorty's and when she slides off the back, Wynonna puts down the kick stand and takes off her helmet as well. 

 

Nicole is the first to speak. "Thanks for the ride, Wynonna. I really appreciate it... Maybe next time we decide to get drunk though we should work out a DD ahead of time." She gives the Earp an expectant look and Wynonna's response shocks her.

 

"Well... The events last night certainly seemed to benefit you that's for sure. I mean, I woke up in bed alone half dressed and you got to sleep in my sister's bed... I would think you'd be all for sleeping in some pretty young thing's bed," Wynonna replies, sharply, but not harshly. It's almost teasing coming from Wynonna, but there's an edge to it.

 

Nicole just stands there for a moment, before she says, "Yeah, sure. Even though I'm pretty sure if something had happened between Waverly and I last night, you wouldn't be as cool about it as you're being this morning."

 

Wynonna chuckles and says, "Yeah. You're probably right... If you had tried to drunkenly take advantage of my sister last night, I'm pretty sure I would be kicking your ass all over the county this morning."

 

"And I would deserve it. Good thing I'd never do something like that... I mean... Wait, how'd you know I didn't try anything?" Nicole asks, fishing to see if Waverly had said anything more about their night together.

 

"Waverly would have told me. I asked her what happened between you two last night and she said nothing, so I assumed nothing had happened... You trying to tell me different?" Wynonna asks, rising out of the motorcycle seat.

 

"God, no, Wynonna. Like I said, I'm not that kinda girl. I was a perfect gentlewoman last night. Even when your sister started stripping right in front of me..." Nicole's voice trails off when she realizes what she just said. Wynonna's eyes go wide and her nostrils flare. Nicole is kicking herself for not censoring herself better than that. Stumbling for words she adds, "Not- not stripping, like stripping-stripping... She was just getting ready for bed... I- I, uh... turned my back just the second I saw skin really. Oh god, please don't tell her I said she was stripping. I-"

 

Wynonna takes pity on the stammering redhead and cuts in, "It's all good Haught-mess. Waverly said it was like having a drunken high school sleepover, so you've got nothing to worry about... Even if I can tell you are totally into to my sister, but don't worry I won't tell her. Your secret is safe with me... for now anyway."

 

Mortified by the older Earp's words, Nicole hides her face behind Wynonna's spare helmet and tries to will herself to shrink away to nothing. After a few moments, Nicole can't keep her eyes from drifting to the ground as she lowers the helmet and says, "Ok... Thanks Wynonna, and now that I'm extremely embarrassed about it, how 'bout we just part ways and maybe act like this little conversation never happened, hmm?"

 

"Sure thing, dude. Anyway, tomorrow's your first day back to work right?" Wynonna asks.

 

"Yeah, I'm kinda nervous about it, but I'm sure I'll be on desk duty a while," Nicole replies, with a somewhat sad smile. She glances around before she continues, "Hey, shouldn't you be getting to the station? It's almost noon."

 

"Yeah I guess you're right... I just need to say one thing," Wynonna says, hesitating for a moment before she continues, "I- Thanks for being such a good drinking buddy last night. I definitely would have gotten behind the wheel of Gus' truck last night and I'm not sure where I would have gone, but it wouldn't have been home... and home was exactly where I needed to go... So... thanks." She tips her eyes down to her feet to hide her blush from her sudden, serious honesty. 

 

Nicole shakes her head a little and says, "No problem, man. What are friends for anyway?"

 

Wynonna's head perks up and she says, "Yeah... Friends, right."

 

Nicole smiles and says, "Ride safe, dude," pointing down at the bike. "I'll see ya around."

 

Wynonna just nods, slips on her helmet and cranks the bike. She waves as she pulls out of the parking lot, going in the wrong direction of the station. Shaking her head, Nicole climbs into her truck and points it towards home.


	22. Chapter 22

Once inside, Nicole slumps back against the door. She goes over all her memories from the night before and fixates on how Waverly's hand in hers had felt so right, like she'd never really shared that kind of intimacy with anyone else before, because no matter how intense things had seemed at the time, whoever she had been with, they weren't cute, sassy, brilliant Waverly Earp. Nicole chuckles at herself, 'God, maybe I've read one too many romance novels,' she thinks as she pushes off the door and hoists herself up the stairs. 

 

First on her list of things to do is shower. She knows that showering before going to the gym is silly, but she doesn't want to be that person, the one who shows up to a workout already smelling gross. She stumbles as she pulls out of her jeans and half falls onto the bed. Mimir runs quickly out from under the bed and streaks out of the room. Nicole curses quietly and stalks out into the hallway to see which way she went. In just her underwear, she pads through the house looking for the little fur ball. Finally, she finds the cat curled up in her clean laundry basket in the laundry room. Scratching her behind the ears, Nicole attempts to apologize for scaring her and after a moment or two all seems forgiven if the tabby's loud purring is any indicator. 

 

Nicole pats her on the head and moves off, back upstairs and finishes stripping out of her clothes. Her phone vibrates from somewhere in the bedroom and she rummages through the jeans she just took off, fishing her phone out of one of the pockets. When she finally rights it in her hand, a text from Chrissy pops up.

 

 

Chrissy- Well, did you enjoy your night out with Wynonna last night?   12:22pm

 

Nicole laughs and decides that instead of texting she'd rather tell her friend about the evening's events in person.

 

 

12:24pm   Nicole- Ha! Too much to text, my friend. Toooo much to text. I'm heading to the gym for a bit, but maybe you wanna swing by later? I have so much I wanna tell you.

 

A couple minutes later, Chrissy response comes through.

 

 

Chrissy- Sounds good to me. 7ish sound good? I could bring pizza and beer?   12:28pm

 

 

Nicole sends the thumbs up emoji and then plugs her phone into the charger before she hustles off to get the shower started. Standing at the mirror waiting for the water to heat up, Nicole appraises her upper body muscles, flexing and curling her arms to look at them. She hasn't lost that much muscle mass over the last couple weeks, but when she chances a glance at her upper back muscles over her shoulder, she definitely notices a lack of definition in her delts and her lats. "Looks like I know what's first on the list at the gym... Arms day is so boring, but this one's really gonna suck," she says to herself as she hops in the shower.

 

Sometime later, Nicole is clean and dressed for her trip to the gym. She grabs her workout bag and sifts through it, checking to make sure she has her resistance bands and lifting gloves. She throws in a change of clothes, just a clean T-shirt and a pair of jeans and change of underwear, so she can change completely out her work out gear before heading to the hardware store after. With those things squared away, she heads to the kitchen and fills up her favorite water bottle with water. She stands at the sink a second and decides she should just down a glass now too, if she doesn't want to have a dehydration headache later. 

 

Finally all ready, she heads out to her truck and gets on the road to the gym. When she steps inside, she immediately realizes that most everyone is looking at her. The place isn't crowded, but as she smiles and nods at the few people she recognizes from around town, she notices everyone is also giving her a wide berth, intentionally stepping out of her way as she walks towards the locker room. She slides through the locker room door and breathes a sigh of relief when she finds it even less crowded than the gym itself. She stows her bag in one of the empty lockers, pulling her water bottle, gloves and bands out and placing her keys, phone and wallet inside, before she closes and locks the door with a small combination lock.

 

When she steps back out of the locker room, all eyes are on her again, but she makes a conscious effort to not let it bother her. She knows why they are staring. By now everyone is town has heard about her kidnapping and subsequent hospitalization, and since this is her first time out in public really since then, she figures everyone is just looking her over for trauma or scars or whatever. She moves forward through the slight anxiety caused by their lingering looks and hops on an elliptical bike for a warm up. 

 

Once she's finally warm she hits the free weights, working with smaller dumbbells than she's used to, but she's feeling the burn anyway. She pushes and pushes herself to finish each set of reps and after set upon set she realizes all too late that she's past the beginning of overdoing it. The burn in her shoulders and back has spread to her sides and abs and the soft spot on her left side is burning worst of all. Feeling defeated, she heads back to the cardio area and instead of getting back on the elliptical for her cool down, she chooses a treadmill instead, figuring it'll be less stress on her upper body than pumping her way through another 20 minutes of upper body workout on the elliptical.

 

Heading back into the locker room, totally exhausted, Nicole stumbles when she reaches her locker. She sits on the bench for a minute, quickly finishing her water bottle off. She rests her head in her hands, elbows propped on her knees, and just breathes. Several gulping breathes finally give way to quieter and quieter ones and the dizzy, strained feeling of weakness slowly dissolves. Finally getting to her feet, several minutes later, she pulls her phone out and finds a missed call from Hayley. "I'll call her back when I get home," she mutters as she grabs her spare clothes and heads towards the locker room showers. Once she's rinsed off the sweat from her work out, she gets redressed and collects and settles her sweaty clothes into her duffel bag with her workout gear. On her way out of the locker room, she notices a few people still watching her, but most have lost interest. She figures it's kind of like a car wreck on the side of the road. When the people rolling by realize it's just a fender bender, they stop rubbernecking so much.

 

 

~~~

 

 

It turns out the back ordered gear that Nicole needs to fix her garage door opener is in and she thanks the owner again for ordering it for her before scooting home to attempt to fix it before Chrissy comes over. The actual repair doesn't take long, but the reinstallation of the motor takes longer than Nicole had anticipated. She mutters to herself as she heads out the garage, "Nothing wears you out faster than working over your head... Yeah, No shit." She looks down at herself and realizes she's covered in greasy smears and drywall dust and decides to take her third shower of the day. 

 

All cleaned up, she barely gets settled in on the couch before her phone chimes.

 

 

Chrissy- Pizza and beer in hand! OMW!   6:45pm

 

 

Not wanting to encourage Chrissy to text and drive, Nicole just waits patiently for the sounds of tires in the driveway. She gets up and heads out onto the porch to greet her friend. She waves and Chrissy nods carrying two medium sized pizza boxes and a six pack of imported beer. Nicole hustles down the stairs and relieves her friend of both the pizzas and the beer, as she says, "Hey, thanks for coming. I can't wait to tell you about last night."

 

Chrissy smiles as she replies, "And I can't wait to hear all about it, but first where's your truck?" She scans the driveway again like maybe she just missed it.

 

Nicole chuckles and says, "I fixed the garage door opener today... So it's in the garage." Her voice pitches up at the end making her response sound almost like a question.

 

Chrissy laughs this time as she says, "Ha.. Yeah, ok,  that makes sense I guess. Here I was thinking maybe you got drunk and wrecked it last night or something, but that's so not you."

 

"Yeah well, smile when you say that. I physically had to throw myself at Wynonna to keep her from getting behind the wheel of Gus' truck last night. I mean, I had enough sense to know not to drive, but Wynonna was so far gone I had to carry her inside when we got back to the homestead," Nicole says as they ascend the stairs of the porch.

 

Chrissy closes and locks the door behind them before she turns her wide eyes to the redhead and says, "I think maybe you need to start at the beginning and don't skip a thing."

 

 

~~~

 

 

Over an hour later, the pizza is gone except for two small slices and a leftover piece of crust, the beer is equally decimated, both women on their third beers and the conversation is starting to wind down. Finally, Chrissy asks a very important question, "Ok so, you've told me all about it, but how do you feel about last night?"

 

Nicole contemplates for a minute before she says, "Confused, scared, maybe a little, you know, hard up. It's like... Like one minute Waverly was giving me the serious bedroom eyes and then the next she was laughing at me for being too in my own head to realize I was all but flashing her through my tank top. Big time mixed signals. And to be honest, I'm a little scared of Wynonna knowing about my little 'crush' on her baby sister." 

 

When Nicole air-quotes the word 'crush,' Chrissy chuckles, but lets the redhead's words sink in. "Wait, she knows?"

 

Nicole sighs and say, "Yeah... She drove me back to my truck this morning and we had a nice little chat. She said she wouldn't tell Waverly, not yet anyway."

 

Chrissy looks a little shocked, but she recovers as she says, "Uh... I mean that could be a good thing right? She didn't try to take your head off, so that's got to mean something... Hell, I mean she even joked with you about it, yeah?"

 

Thinking back to their conversation, Nicole agrees, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just don't want her to approach Waves about it before Waverly's ready to talk about... us. Wynonna could end up just pushing her away from me."

 

"Well, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed on that one. Maybe she'll forget about it," the blonde replies, even though she knows that's not likely.

 

"Yeah, right... 'Cause we both know Wynonna's not one to hold onto the past or anything like that," Nicole says and she can't stop the nervous chuckle that falls from her lips at the thought of having to see Wynonna everyday at work knowing she could hold this big thing over her head. "I mean, at least I didn't blurt out something really telling that would have outed Waves too."

 

"See that's good. There's a silver lining to almost every situation, you just have to be looking at it from the right angle," Chrissy says, hopefully.

 

Nicole smiles and looks over at her friend. "Yeah, just gotta stay positive. Just keep playing along."

 

 

~~~

 

 

A couple hours later the two women part ways, only after Nicole makes Chrissy perform a roadside sobriety test in her living room. Chrissy laughs through the whole thing, but she does it anyway, knowing Nicole is only trying to look out for her. After several 'No, really I should go.'s or 'Man, I should really get to bed.'s' Chrissy finally climbs into her car. She waves at the redhead from the driveway and promptly drives off out of sight.

 

Nicole is left standing on the porch, just sort of staring absently out into the night when her phone vibrates in her pocket. She whips it out and is suddenly kicking herself. She answers the call as quick as she can, immediately saying "God, I'm sorry Hayley I meant to call you back earlier. I guess I just got kind of distracted..."

 

Her sister chuckles and says, "Things must be going better with Waverly, then?"

 

Nicole rubs a hand up the back of her neck as she turns towards the door. She sighs heavily and replies, "Well, I wouldn't go that far, but yes there has been some progress in that department. We kinda slept together..." Her voice trails off when she realizes the implications of what she just said, half of her brain short circuiting in the process.

 

"Cole... You can't just drop a bomb like that and not immediately provide details. I mean, was it good? I know it's been a while..." Hayley spits out hastily.

 

The redhead leans her head against the door as she turns the deadbolt. She doesn't know what to say. She wants to say 'Jeez, thanks Hayley and here I thought you had tact.' Instead she decides on a slightly tamer version of that and she says, "Thanks Hayley, really needed that reminder. And for your information, we just slept together... like sleep, slept together... in Waverly's bed... fully clothed... well mostly clothed."

 

"Again with the bomb! Mostly clothed, what the he'll does that even mean?" Hayley asks, excitedly and a bit exasperated.

 

"Well, I'll have to tell you the whole story for context..." Nicole begins, as she leads Hayley through the story of her evening.

 

Hayley only interrupts one time, when she asks Nicole, "Wait, you carried her sister inside from the car and put her in bed? That must have been awkward..." Nicole just laughs and continues on with her story.

 

Finally, Nicole gets to the part about her white/see through tank top and both Waverly and Wynonna's reactions. "I mean, Waverly had already seen me in the tank top, so I couldn't very well put something on over it after I realized what she'd been giggling about... That's like saying, 'don't look' when I really, really want her to look. And I don't know, with Wynonna, there was nothing I could do about it. I mean... There I am standing in her baby sister's bedroom, blind as can be, clutching my arms to my chest wishing I could just melt into the floor."

 

"Wow, 'Cole. I don't know how you get yourself into these situations, but you should maybe figure that out, 'cause someday you're going to stick you foot in your mouth and not be able to get it back out again, so to speak," Hayley says, a little edge to her voice.

 

"What do you mean by that?" Nicole asks, confused.

 

Hayley sighs and says, "I just don't want to see you get hurt and I feel like you've gotten really attached to Waverly and to Wynonna and I just don't want to see some kind of weird triangle thing happen."

 

"Hayley, let me assure you nothing of the sort is gonna happen. Wynonna and I are just friends. She's totally not my type. I mean sure she's...well, she's Wynonna. A bit of a wild child, but she's coming into her own. Attractive, yes, but has guaranteed me she's straight and we have an understanding. I'm not into her and she's not into me... I guess she's probably one of the few real plutonic female friends I've ever had. And there's Chrissy, too. She was just here actually. She's been such a great friend the last couple weeks, not just because she helped me take care of myself while I was healing. She's been the perfect confidant too, helping me make that C/D for Waverly and everything," Nicole explains.

 

"Well, that's good then. I'm glad you're actually making friends up there. And speaking of Waverly, where does all this leave the two of you?" Hayley hedges.

 

Nicole huffs a little and finally says, "That's the thing I still don't know. I'm trying so hard not to push her in any one direction and she's taking her sweet time figuring it out on her own... That's not fair. She should take all the time she needs. I need her to be sure before we move any further in our relationship... To be honest, last night and this morning were the only times since I got out of the hospital that I've even talked to her, much less seen her or touched her. So really I'm just waiting it out, well, sweating it out too, I guess. I did finally get back to the gym today and I start back at work tomorrow. I'm part excited, part nervous." Suddenly Nicole glances over at the alarm clock on the nightstand. "Oh shit, ok Hayley I gotta go... Why didn't you say it was one in the morning? I've gotta be up at six for my eight am shift... Shit."

 

Hayley chuckles heartily, "Listen 'Cole, calm down. It won't do you any good to get riled up now. Just go to bed and get as much sleep as you can and call me back when you get a chance. OK?"

 

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right. Ok... I'll call you soon," Nicole says, as her breathing starts to return to normal.

 

"Alright, 'Cole. I love you sis," Hayley replies.

 

Nicole smiles into the phone and says, "Love you too, kiddo. Talk to you soon."

 

Hayley huffs lightly into the phone before she hangs up.

 

Nicole's smile widens at the thought of irritating her younger sister and sets off to the bathroom to take care of her night time routine. After she's finished she renters the bed, sets the alarm as loud as it will go and slumps down under the covers hoping sleep will take her soon.


	23. Chapter 23

When six am comes, the alarm goes off and Nicole slaps her hand down on the snooze button. When her phone alarm goes off five minutes later, she snoozes that one too. After nearly two weeks of sleeping whenever she wanted and waking up whenever too, Nicole's sleep schedule is clearly out of whack and she groans as the alarm clock goes off again. She silences it and pushes herself up in the bed, essentially forcing herself awake. She heads to the shower first thing, knowing it will help in the wake up process. The pelting water and curling steam do the trick and soon after she's dressed in her uniform pants and a tank standing in the kitchen making coffee and instant oatmeal. She stares down into the oatmeal thinking, 'I should learn how to make something other than oatmeal for breakfast... It's starting to get really boring.' She stands in the kitchen eating and sipping at her coffee, surfing Instagram in an attempt to socialize her brain a little before heading off to the station.

 

When she finally enters the station almost an hour later, there are several members of the department standing around the reception desk to greet her. They all welcome her back warmly, with pats on the back and big smiles. Eventually, Nedley steps out of his office and clears his throat and almost everyone gets the hint and moves off about their day. Joe Fernandez lags behind totally wrapped up in his catching up with Nicole. He is in the middle of telling her all about his new truck, when Nedley clears his throat again. Joe looks up sort of alarmed and realizes he's the only person left in the reception area except for Nicole and Nedley. He smiles sheepishly before ducking his head to his boss and turns saying to Nicole, "I'll just have to show you later. Welcome back, Nicole. We've missed you around here."

 

"Really glad to be back, Joe. We'll talk later," Nicole replies, as Joe heads home after working the overnight shift. She then turns to Nedley and he gestures for her to enter his office.

 

Nicole enters and he urges her sit in one of the arm chairs across from his desk. After what seems like a silent eternity, Nedley finally speaks, "Nicole, first I'd like to say my own welcome back. What Joe said is right, you have definitely been missed 'round here. And I hope you're ready to jump right in. First thing I need from you is gonna be hard though, but I think you can handle it. The state is asking for a detailed report from you about the incident... for insurance purposes mostly. They need an account of your experiences to be sure that you were in fact injured in the line of duty." He pauses to take a breath and something in Nicole's face makes him quickly add, "And I know what you're thinking by that look on your face. This is just routine, Nicole. No one is questioning your ability to do your job or anything like that. They just need a record of your recollection of that morning's events."

 

Nicole takes a deep breath and says, "Ok Sheriff. I mean, of course, I'll do it. To be honest, I kind of expected you to ask me to do something like this when I was in here the other day to give you my doctor's release for work."

 

"Yeah well, I didn't want to bother you with it 'til you could fill out your report while you're on the clock. No reason you can't get paid to do part of your job, right?" Nedley asks, grinning from ear to ear.

 

Nicole returns his grin and responds, "Of course, and I appreciate that more than you know."

 

"Speaking of, the guys took up a collection for you," Nedley says as he pulls an envelope from his desk drawer. He hands it to Nicole, smiling sweetly at her look of utter shock.

 

Nicole sputters and opens the envelope. After only a brief glance, Nicole knows there has to be several hundred dollars worth of bills inside. "Sheriff... This is too much. I can't accept this," she explains as she offers the money back to her boss. The truth is she had been worrying a little about how she would be able to pay rent and eat next month after the last two weeks of being out of work caught up with her, but at the same time, she didn't want to accept this kind of charity from her co-workers. 

 

Nedley bristles and scoffs at Nicole's rejection, saying, "You will accept it. As we've all been trying to tell you, you've been missed around here and this is our way of saying so. If you don't feel like you need it, then... I don't know, donate it to charity or something... Or go by Shorty's on a Friday night and pay everyone's bar tab."

 

Nicole chuckles and admits, "Actually that sounds like a really good idea. I really do appreciate this Sheriff, I just don't take charity well. I was always taught to be self-reliant, you know?"

 

"Yes, I believe that's something everyone here sees and appreciates," Nedley says, smiling again. After a brief moment of silence, Nedley speaks up again, "Ok enough of this mushiness. You should get on that report... Think you can have it done this afternoon?"

 

"Sure thing, boss. I'll be in the bullpen if you need me," Nicole replies. She rises from her chair and quickly exits the office into the reception area. She makes it most of the way down the hall before she hears a low wolf-whistle from off to her right.

 

Wynonna calls out, "Hey there, Haughty. Welcome back!"

 

Nicole turns towards her before rolling her eyes hard at the pun. "Hey Wynonna. Thanks," she says as the Earp approaches.

 

"Well don't sound so excited Nicole. Wouldn't want to over do it..." Wynonna says, as she wraps an arm around the redhead's shoulder and escorts her the rest of the way to the bull pen office at the back of the station. Once they arrive, Wynonna asks, "So, what's Nedley got you doing today? Desk duty, I hope."

 

"Yeah. First is filing a report for the state's insurance company about, uh... you know, the... the kidnapping. I- I bet it takes me all morning to get it right," Nicole complains as she takes her seat at an empty desk and fires up the computer. 

 

"Well how about some go juice then, my treat. I was just about to head down to the coffee shop," Wynonna offers with a smirk.

 

Nicole returns her smile and says, "Yeah that'd be nice. Just a hot coffee, black is fine. Thanks, dude."

 

"Anytime, man anytime," Wynonna says, already slinking out of the room.

 

Nicole turns her attention to the computer and her report and barely notices when Wynonna returns twenty minutes later coffee in hand. She thanks the Earp briefly and returns to the report. Wynonna slips out of the room again and Nicole thinks and types and remembers and types and types until she's sure she's gotten in all down. She proofreads her words once and then again to be sure she's satisfied with her account. She knows Nedley is probably going to tell her she's crazy for what she's written in the report, but she decided the moment he asked her to do it that this was an opportunity to fish through Nedley's possible knowledge of what is really lurking in the dark shadows in Purgatory. She knows he'll ask her to redo it, but it's worth it. 

 

Once she's satisfied with it, she sends it over to the printer and goes to retrieve it, so she can deliver Nedley a hard copy, knowing his distaste for reading on the computer. He's in his office when she arrives and he asks her to wait while he gives it a once over. She settles back into the chair across from him and leans back, waiting for the sheriff's impending reaction. He is quiet for a few minutes before he finally stands and asks,  "Nicole, what it this? 'Unnatural... Otherworldly... Potential Jack the Ripper.' Really, Nicole? I like a joke as much as the next guy, but I don't have time for this." He paces back and forth behind his desk as he speaks, before balling up her report and tossing it in the trash, punctuating his frustration.

 

Nicole flusters at his mild aggression and says defiantly, "Look, it wasn't easy to write any of this down, but it is what I experienced." She pauses for a moment, but quickly adds, as sincerely as possible, "I swear."

 

Nedley sighs and leans forward onto his desk. He looks down at the seated officer and says, "Look. I know you've had a hell of a time. You wanna take a day or two, I understand."

 

Nicole rolls her eyes and quickly replies, "This isn't about getting kidnapped. Ok... It's not just that. I mean, Sheriff, come on, you gotta admit this... this place is weird."

 

The Sheriff doesn't miss a beat when he responds, "It's a small town, Nicole. It's quirky. It's called Purgatory, for Christ's sake." He turns back to his chair and takes to his seat as he continues, "Look... If you think it's anything more than that, you might as well put in your resignation."

 

Nicole immediately blurts out, "I don't wanna resign. I- I like it here."

 

Nedley sighs again and says, "Good." 

 

Nicole can sense by his tone that they're conversation is over and huffs as she says, "I'll redo the report." She rises from her seat and turns towards the door to leave. From behind her she hears Nedley's gruff voice ring out... "Door..." She huffs again and turns back to him as she reaches over and pulls the door closed behind her, using all her willpower not to slam it shut.

 

She storms back to her desk and is struck by how upset she is at Nedley. She was expecting him to call her crazy or be dismissive; what she was not expecting was his cold tone and his suggesting for her to take more time off or resign even. She searches her desk for her coffee and finds one last cold sip in the bottom. Deciding she needs a new cup and a break, she grabs her hat and jacket and heads for the front of the station again. She barely pushes through the door when she's met face to face with none other than Waverly Earp.

 

"Whoa- Whoa! Where's the hold up?" Waverly says with a little laugh. She notices the confused expression on the officer's face and explains, "Cause you're a cop?" lifting her hands in a playful gesture of surrender.

 

Nicole tries to reign in her frustration and the playful tone and wilting smile the young brunette throws her way have her distracted from her conversation with Nedley almost instantly. She pulls herself together only letting her mind wander for just a brief moment. Steeling her nerves she decides she has to get some answers and Waverly may be her only avenue to get what she needs. She wishes she didn't have to do this, didn't have to pressure Waverly, but she pushes forward anyway and quickly half whispers, "Right. Sorry... Um, can we talk?" She hopes Waverly will be receptive, but wants to make sure Waverly knows talking to her right now is optional.

 

"Y-yeah. Yeah. God, we're totally overdue," the brunette replies quickly if a little shakily.

 

Nicole doesn't seem to notice her trepidation as she begins leading Waverly down the sidewalk. She pushes right into the conversation, saying "Ok... I'm not crazy, right? There's something going on here?"

 

Waverly shakes a little in her coat and says almost shyly, "No. You're not crazy." 

 

Nicole quickly interupts with a quick, "Ok," but the youngest Earp continues, saying, "Well, I'm not sure I'm ready to...*oof*... get into it." She shows her teeth in a half smile, half grimace. 

 

Nicole looks down at her confused again, asking simply, "Why?"

 

Steeling herself with a deep breath, Waverly explains, "Because it's different for me, right? And it's... It's really personal." She smiles as she looks over the redhead's face and body, blushing at her blatant appreciation.

 

Nicole is so wrapped up in her own head that she misses the not so subtle way the brunette is looking at her and replies, "But it's personal for everybody, right?" The officer can feel her agitation brewing again and gestures for the two of them to keep walking as she says, "I mean, they must know... People must whisper about it?" Nicole makes a wide gesture with her hands as she shrugs through her question.

 

Waverly's face flashes an expression of shock and a little panic as she quickly says, "Oh my God, I hope not! No uh... I kind of only just discovered it... When I met you..." Her voice trails off as her eyes meet Nicole's face which is set with a hard look.

 

"Me?" Nicole asks quickly, tilting her head to the side slightly, like maybe she didn't hear the youngest Earp correctly.

 

"Yeah... You're kinda special," Waverly admits, looking away with a little half shrug of her own.

 

Nicole is becoming more confused and exacerbated by the second when she tries to wrap her head around what that could mean. "Oh, ok, uh... I- I may be a little bit more open minded, but it's not like I have some mystical gift or something." Nicole falls silent immediately after those words fall from her lips. 'Did I just lie to Waverly? Have I been lying to myself on that one too?' Nicole thinks to herself and she looks up realizing Waverly has turned back to her and stopped on the sidewalk.

 

Waverly smiles and laughs a little before she says, "No, I get it. You're a lesbian not a unicorn, right?"

 

"What?" Nicole blurts, expression and mind falling blank.

 

Waverly mirrors the officer's expression with a "What?" of her own.

 

Nicole scoffs loudly and accusingly says, "You're making fun of me."

 

Waverly begins to stammer and is physically back pedaling when she finally says, "No. Sorry... Don't you want to talk?"

 

Nicole looks her right in the eyes and admits, "I want the truth." Seeing now that their little chat is leading to all the wrong places Nicole just scoffs loudly and storms past the brunette, down the sidewalk and quickly rounds the corner heading for the coffee shop. Head down, she mulls over what had just happened. 'How could that have gone so wrong? Why can't she just tell me what's going on? Wouldn't I be safer if I knew what was actually happening in Purgatory and further more what the hell does being a lesbian have to do with any of this?' Nicole muses to herself as she marches down the sidewalk. She pauses at the door and when she catches her reflection in the clean glass, she's shocked into the sudden realization, 'Waverly was talking about us... And I was just too deafened by my own thoughts to really listen to her... Shit!' She pushes herself through the door hoping Chrissy will be working today and that her friend can take a minute or two to act as her sounding board for what to do next. 

 

Luckily, both of those hopes come true and Nicole finds herself quickly being ushered out the back door of the coffee shop and into the alley beyond. Chrissy quickly says in a hushed voice, "What happened Nicole? You look like somebody just shot your cat..."

 

Nicole chuckles dryly, but it comes out more like a sob when she says, "I just ruined everything. Waverly and I ran into each other just now and I- I tried to push her into talking to me about the weirdness that is Purgatory and... and it wasn't until I'd already stormed off frustrated as all hell by her vague responses and what I thought was a seemingly random comparison between lesbians and unicorns before I realized she thought I wanted to talk about us and I was too preoccupied to see it." Nicole takes a steadying breath and continues, "I essentially just hung up on her to her face." 

 

Chrissy smiles sweetly and places her hand on the officer's shoulder. "Look, Nicole. I'm sure Waverly will understand. You've just gotta go find her and apologize. Tell her you were obviously having two different conversations and start over. I'm sure you haven't ruined everything." 

 

By her tone, it is obvious the blonde is trying to be reassuring, but Nicole just shakes her head and pouts, "You didn't see the look on her face. I- I wouldn't even know where to start an apology for rude I was just now."

 

"Nicole, you're a smooth talking bad ass, who knows who and what she wants. You can't just give up because you stuck your foot in your mouth this one time," Chrissy says and a moment later the back door to the coffee shop opens and a dark haired man leans his head out.

 

"Hey Officer Haught," he says before turning his attention to the blonde, "I'm sorry to interrupt your break and all Chrissy, but it appears the afternoon rush is a little early today. You think you guys can wrap this up?"

 

Chrissy nods, saying quickly "Sure thing, Todd. Just gimme one more minute." He nods back and ducks back inside. The blonde turns back to Nicole again and sighs, "You know I want you two to be together and happy and healthy... You two just need to sit down and talk all this out. Everything is gonna be fine. Just go find her... apologize and go from there."

 

Nicole nods and takes a hold of the blonde's hand. "Thanks, Chrissy. I just wish I believed you. I'll try to talk to her, but I don't think she's gonna wanna talk to me... Where do you think she'd have gone after I walked away?"

 

Chrissy offers her a small smile and says, "Only two places I can think of... Shorty's or the homestead. Those are Waves only two safe places really."

 

"Ok. I'll try Shorty's first... Thanks again Chrissy," she says as she starts to walk down the alley towards the main road.

 

Chrissy calls after her, "You can do this Haught-shot. Just don't forget... She's totally worth all this trouble."

 

Nicole smiles and calls back, "I agree."

 

 

~~~

 

 

Nicole makes her way to Shorty's in short order and even though it's two in the afternoon the saloon is busy. Several tables are occupied as well as more than a few seats at the bar. She chooses a bar stool set away from the others and sits, scanning the place for the young brunette. Her eyes make one sweep before her gaze settles on Gus who speaks up when they make eye contact. "Something I can get ya, Officer?"

 

"Uh... Yeah, may I have a black coffee please?" Nicole responds, eyes flicking back over the bar, left then right and back again.

 

"Sure thing... You looking for somebody? I know everybody in here, so..." Gus says as she turns to the coffee station just behind her. She grabs a mug and pours it full before she turns back to the Officer.

 

Nicole snaps out of her own head when the mug sloshes in front of her. She wraps her hands around it to steady it as she says, "Oh... Thanks, Gus. Sorry, I'm a bit preoccupied. You seen Waverly at all today?" She takes a small sip of the very hot liquid in an attempt to seem casual.

 

Gus smirks and looks Nicole up and down. "You're not good with subtly are ya, girl? How about this... You tell me what you want with Waverly and maybe I'll tell ya where she went," Gus says to the redhead almost plainly, but the knowing smirk on the older woman's face tells Nicole she already knows what the redhead's response will be.

 

Nicole remains quiet, trying to organize her thoughts. 'How much does she know?' she thinks as she stares down into the swirling liquid in her mug. Gus clears her throat and Nicole looks up. She decides to be as vague as possible,saying "I really just needed to apologize. We ran into each other earlier and I'm pretty sure I upset her."

 

Gus huffs quietly. She draws in a deep breath before she says, "Yeah, I'd say so. She plowed through here about 15 minutes ago. She barked something about unicorns and re- Well... what she said doesn't really matter. She was supposed to be on shift right now, but I sent her home. I didn't want her scaring off all my happy hour customers."

 

Nicole catches how Gus cuts herself off before she said anything too telling. 'Apparently Gus is in on the weirdness too. Probably half the town knows and I'm left looking like an idiot,' Nicole thinks. She lets it go and feeling suddenly more dispirted than before. Nicole's head sinks and her Stetson falls off onto the counter. Gus grabs it before it has a chance to roll off and places it down in the bar. Nicole murmurs a quiet "Thanks" after the hat is settled on the counter.

 

"So... Enough beating around the bush... What's really going on here?" Gus asks bluntly.

 

Nicole snickers quietly, but quickly stifles it. She's still unsure of how much to share so she tries to be as vague as possible. She sighs and finally says, "Well... I thought we were talking about one thing and I'm pretty sure Waverly was talking about something totally different and- and I just wasn't paying good enough attention to not let it spiral out of control. I-" Nicole cuts herself off as a customer approaches and Gus immediately turns to the taps and refills his glass. She slides it across to him and when he turns to leave Nicole continues, "I'm usually fairly good at talking to pretty girls, but something about Waves trips me up sometimes." Nicole twitches when she realizes what she just said. She blushes furiously and turns her eyes back down to her coffee.

 

Gus's smirk widens and she ponders aloud, "I guess Wynonna was right... She said you had a crush on Waverly, but I didn't really believe her. Wynonna can be a little over dramatic sometimes." She chuckles when the redhead nods in agreement. Nicole doesn't look up though so the older woman adds, "Look, I don't know what's going on with you and Waverly, but I can tell you that girl means the world to me and seeing her hurting cuts me to the bone. So, I- I need to know that if there is something between you two that you're not gonna hurt her like this again."

 

Nicole looks at her with glistening eyes. She can't hold her feelings back anymore and after an almost gasping breath she whispers, "I'm- I'm in love with her. I feel so guilty right now that I made her so upset. I... I didn't mean to get so upset either. This town... There's something happening here and it's right under my nose and I just can't figure it out and everybody around me is in on it and hiding it from me..."

 

Gus reaches her hand across the bar and rubs at the redhead's shoulder, offering what comfort she can. "Well Officer Haught, Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not observant. Most people just ignore the going's on in town that don't directly apply to them... I'm probably gonna say what most have said to you though, but it's not my story to tell. I'm sure Waverly will tell you when she's ready, just know that it's a long story and it's taken an even longer time to get to this part in the story, so don't expect instant answers." She pauses for a moment considering quietly before she finally says, "As for your feelings for Waverly, I have a pretty good sense about people and I think you're one of the good ones. I can see how much you care about her, and I've never seen Waverly so upset over somebody else, so I'd say she's got feelings for you too. I guess you'd still like to know where she is?"

 

Nicole looks up and nods eagerly and says, "Very much. I need to fix this."

 

The redhead's tone is so resolute Gus immediately replies, "She said she was going back to homestead for a long bath and a beer. If I were you I'd give her a little time, don't just go rushing over there and overwhelm her. She'll talk to you when she's ready and I don't think you'll have to wait long. Just have a little faith."

 

"Ok... Thanks Gus. I mean it. How much do I owe you for the coffee?" Nicole asks as she rises from the bar stool and grabs her Stetson off the counter.

 

"Don't worry about it, darlin'. It's on the house. Just don't lose hope. Waverly always was a stubborn little thing, but she's an honest kid... She'll come around," Gus says as she turns and crosses to the other side of the bar to refill a couple more empty glasses.


	24. Chapter 24

The rest of Nicole's shift is utterly uneventful. She fills out a new report, leaving out most of her actual experience this time, using vague terms and even more vague descriptions. She hands it over to Nedley and he peruses it briefly before handing it back to her with a nod. She files the paper copy of the report in with rest the case files and emails a copy to Nedley so he can forward it on to his superiors. She tidies up her desk and collects her things and heads home, barely managing to avoid an inquisitive looking Dolls hovering in the break room door way.

 

Once the redhead gets settle in at home, she orders Chinese food and eats it casually on the couch in her pajamas. She's staring aimlessly at the TV, only half following the intricate plot of the cop drama that's playing. She can't get over how badly she'd screwed up with Waverly. It seems like they were just getting over one misunderstanding only to have another more serious one crop up. Just when she starts thinking about going to bed early, her phone rings and when she checks the caller ID she groans and against her better judgement she answers the call. "Hey Liz, how's it going?" she says as she picks up.

 

"Oh you know. It's going," Liz says, snickering under her breath. 

 

That was Liz's answer anytime anyone asked her that question and instead of finding it annoying like she usually does, Nicole finds the familiarity oddly comforting. "Yeah, I know how it is. I'm finally back to the grindstone, too. Today was my first day back since the ki- incident." Nicole immediately clams up, sure that her sister is sharp enough to have caught her little misstep, but is really hoping that Liz will let it go just this one time.

 

"Yeah, Nicole, you never did tell me what happened to you in the first place. You just keep calling it the 'incident," Liz says animatedly into the phone. Nicole can clearly see the brunette raised hands air-quoting the word incident, even though they're thousands of miles apart. After a brief moment of silence, Liz continues, "You don't have to tell me Nicole but if you need someone to talk to, to tell the truth to, I'm here for you and you know I can keep your secrets."

 

Nicole's heart stills at the thought of the years she had been forced to live in the closet because of her chosen career in the military. Truthfully, it had been some of the worst days of her life, like forcing someone to be a nun or priest. Sure, she was devoted to the Army, but everybody has needs. During those days, Nicole would call Liz and just talk about stuff, nothing really important, but it had helped Nicole deal with the emotional issues that arose from her self enforced isolation from intimacy. Realizing she had been lost in her own thoughts too long she quickly says, "Yeah... You're definitely good at keeping secrets, but I just wouldn't even know where to start."

 

Liz laughs and asks, "Well, is there any other place to start?"

 

 

~~~

 

 

A couple hours later Nicole feels so much better, like she had some huge weight lifted form her shoulders, having told her sister everything, the dreams that didn't seem like dreams, the kidnapping, the happenings with Waverly and everything in between. Liz had listened and questioned and helped Nicole explore her own theories and thoughts and emotions. It was a draining conversation, but one that Nicole didn't even know she needed to have until it was over. 

 

Finally settling into the bed, Nicole relaxes back against the pillows and cuddles up under the blankets. Mimir comes in just as she's about to fall asleep and snuggles into the small space between her knees. They fall asleep together and when Nicole wakes to her alarm at six, she finds herself and her cat in roughly the same positions they fell asleep in. "You're gonna have to let me up, little girl. Mama has to pee," she says to the tabby before shifting under the covers enough to extract herself from the bed.

 

Nicole's morning routine is just that and before she knows it she's on her way back to the station for another boring day of desk duty. She has her travel coffee mug securely held in one hand, the steering wheel gripped tightly in the other. She pulls into the station a few minutes early and takes a moment to just breathe before heading inside. She settles into her desk in the bullpen and is just about to fire up the computer when Nedley's frame hesitates in the doorway.

 

"Hey Nicole, so... Charlie's wife went into the labor late, last night, so he's not gonna be in today. You think you're up to taking the morning patrol?" Nedley asks quietly, speedily adding, "If not, it's ok... I can just ask Joe if he stay for a couple hours."

 

"It's ok, Sheriff. I think I could use some fresh air today anyway. You want me to head out now?" Nicole asks, already rising from her chair and grabbing her coffee.

 

Nedley chuckles lightheartedly at her enthusiasm and nods, stepping out of the redhead's way and gesturing towards the door. Just as she reaches it he says, "Be back around one-thirty. I'll need you to man the front for the afternoon."

 

"Sounds good, Boss. I'll see you this afternoon," the officer calls back as she rounds the front desk, heading for her cruiser.

 

 

~~~

 

 

A couple hours later, Nicole is cruising down Main Street when a call comes in over the radio.

 

"Come in 2-4-4," the dispatcher's voice fills the cab, cracking a little with static from the radio.

 

Nicole quickly picks up the biscuit mic and says, "This is 2-4-4. Come back."

 

"We've got a call on Marshall's road, pretty far out by the Pearson farm. Lone female walking the road. Might be a stranded motorist," the dispatcher says flatly.

 

"I'll check it out. 2-4-4 out," Nicole replies before she switches on her lights, saving the siren for now.

 

A few minutes later, she turns onto Marshall's road and spots a familiar figure walking up the middle of the road. She switches the lights off again and rolls up slowly on the young woman. Rolling the window down she says, "Waverly, what are you doing?"

 

The brunette keeps walking, huffing out her response, "Being alone. I wanna be alone."

 

Nicole sighs and tries to think of what to say to that. Finally she says, "Alright, well... You've reached the edge of town, so any further out and you're gonna freeze to death." Waverly doesn't respond so Nicole adds almost sternly, "Just get in the car."

 

"No, thank you," Waverly replies quickly, in her sarcastic sing-song sort of way.

 

Nicole winces at the rejection that sounded more like 'fuck you' than 'thank you' and without really thinking about it she says, "I got a taser... Don't you make me use it."

 

Waverly turns to her and rolls her eyes. She finally stops walking and the officer stops the car and gestures towards the passenger side. Waverly huffs and moves around the front of the cruiser, keeping Nicole's eye contact the whole way. She opens the door and settles into the seat and crosses her arms back across her chest.

 

Nicole sits quietly for just a moment before she decides she's going to have to bite the bullet and spit it out. "Ok, so... I'll start. I'm- I'm sorry for being such an asshole before."

 

Waverly scoffs loudly and stammers as she replies, "First... You wanna talk, then you don't wanna talk and then you tell me to talk- so I talk-"

 

Nicole smiles as she cuts in, overlapping her words with the brunette's, "Ok... Well maybe we should figure out what exactly it is that we're talking about." Nicole adds a little huffed laugh.

 

Waverly looks at her wide eyed and when she starts talking she just can't seem to stop herself. "Gus is selling Shorty's. She acts like she won't, but she is... And everything is changing around me, but it's all too fast, you know, and it's like nobody ever asks me if I'm ok with it. It's like, could everybody stand still for one frickin minute," Waverly says, her volume steadily rising higher and higher as she goes on until she all but yelling by the end. She sighs heavily and slumps in her seat a little, looking down at her lap.

 

Nicole is hesitant, but after just a moment she says, "Hey..." When Waverly doesn't look at her, she reaches her hand out across the cab and gently places it on Waverly's thigh. "It's gonna be ok," she adds as soothingly as she can manage, rubbing a circle with her thumb a couple times.

 

Waverly looks down at the redhead's hand on her thigh and slides her eyes up to meet Nicole's. When they make eye contact Nicole retracts her hand and Waverly's eyes sink as she says defeatedly, "I just screamed at you. You shouldn't be nice to me."

 

Nicole scoffs through a laugh and says, "Yeah, well... I think you've just been dating too many shitheads."

 

Waverly's response comes quick and the words tear at Nicole's heart. "We're not dating," the brunette barks out, turning her head to face Nicole again.

 

Nicole is crushed by her tone and the quickness with which Waverly formed those words and for a moment all she can say is, "I know." She looks straight ahead trying not to let her pain show too clearly. She considers her next words carefully before finally she adds, "God, Waverly, I would never ask you to be someone you're not."

 

Waverly is running on the adrenaline of their argument and the memories of their conversation the day before and she lets those emotions drive her response. "Good. Just don't ask me to be anyone at all," she says with all the harshness she can muster.

 

Nicole lets her emotions fuel her too and immediately barks out, "Fine."

 

Waverly is quick with a "Fine," of her own and for a moment they're both silent. Waverly knows they can't really be just friends, but the idea of losing Nicole all together is debilitating. Still she can't stop herself from saying, "Well uh- maybe just friends."

 

Nicole scoffs at this and through almost gritted teeth she replies, "Yeah, sure Waverly. Whatever you want." Nicole puts the cruiser back into drive and moves off, essentially ending their conversation.

 

Once they get back to town, Waverly finally says, "You can just drop me at Shorty's. My shift starts at two, so yeah."

 

Nicole doesn't respond, just drives towards the saloon, silence wrapping around them both again. When they reach Shorty's, the officer doesn't even put the car in park as Waverly gets out. The brunette doesn't say anything and Nicole sighs heavily as Waverly closes the car door and stalks off through the bar's front door.

 

'Well... That went well,' Nicole thinks as she heads back out on patrol. She radios into dispatch, letting them know she assisted the stranded driver with a ride back into town. Dispatch confirms her position and the time and signs off.

 

Nicole returns to the station shortly there after, making sure to refill the fuel in the cruiser on her way back. She walks through the doors to be greeted by Dolls and Nedley heading out for Nedley's usual 'dinner' at happy hour at Shorty's. It's surprising that Dolls is joining him but Nicole knows she can't judge, especially after that tipsy night of drinking behind her desk with Wynonna. Nedley tips his hat to her and says, "You're on the desk at two, ok?"

 

Nicole plasters her most convincing, fake smile on her face and replies, "Sure thing, Sheriff. Enjoy happy hour."

 

He smiles and nods his agreement and he and Dolls walk out the front door.

 

Nicole refills her travel mug from the coffee pot in the break room and heads to the front to relieve Susan from the front desk. Susan thanks her and they make pleasant small talk for a few minutes until Susan gets distracted by some case files she had been working on when Nicole walked in and the younger officer turns her attention to a blank report, knowing she would need to fill out a report for her 'stranded motorist' call. It only takes a few minutes to fill in only the most basic of information on the report and just as she's finished it, the front door of the station opens. Susan moves off towards the bullpen with a few files in her hands, just as a frantic Waverly rounds the corner.

 

The brunette blurts out, "Hey, Nedley out for dinner?"

 

Not really realizing that Waverly already knows the answer to this question, Nicole replies, "Oh... You mean happy hour at Shorty's... Same time everyday, kinda like clockwork."

 

Waverly quickly pushes her way through the swinging gate that separates the front desk from the public and charges into Nedley's office. 

 

Nicole calls out to her, "Hey... Wave?!" She follows the brunette into her boss's office and finds Waverly pulling all the blinds closed. Nicole is flustered by Waverly's sudden appearance and actions and offers another "Hey" trying to get the brunette's attention. Waverly doesn't hesitate though and pushes the officer out of the way, further into the room, saying a quick "Excuse me," before shutting the door.

 

When Waverly turns on her Nicole can see something is different about Waverly's eyes. Her pupils are blown wide and her expression is that of a woman starving for a meal she fears will never come. Nicole barely has time to spit out "What is your problem? I don't understand why you-" before her words are suddenly cut off by Waverly's mouth on hers. Nicole melts at the hot, electric press of their lips together after all this time and she whimpers into Waverly's mouth as the brunette pushes her not-so-gently towards the couch set against the far wall. Waverly pushes Nicole all the way on to the couch and lands on half top of her, their lips still connected. Waverly goes to straddle the officer, but Niocle puts her hands against the brunette's ribs and pushes up slightly, hoping to curb Waverly's actions because she really needs an explanation as to why she just got jumped in her boss' office. She barely manages to utter, "What happened to friends?"

 

The Earp withdraws a little and settles on her knees on the couch, in between Nicole legs. "You know what l've always wanted?" she asks suddenly, still trying to catch her breath from their frantic kissing.

 

Nicole looks at her confused and simply says, "What?"

 

Waverly quickly responds, "To parachute out of a plane at fifteen thousand feet... Yeah. To swim far, far out into the ocean, so that I can't see the bottom anymore... To eat geoduck."

 

Nicole smiles and says, "Isn't that the one that kinda looks like a-" She puckers her lips trying to begin a word that starts with a P, but Waverly cuts her off before she has a chance to verbalize her thought.

 

"Yeah, it is. Point is... I've always wanted to do things that scare me," Waverly says. She doesn't seem to notice her hand has come to rest high on redhead's thigh, inches away from the crux of her until she looks the redhead up and down, breathing heavily. She removes her hand sheepishly and then waves it in between the two of them as she adds, "But, well, it's not so easy to be brazen when the thing you want, that scares you to death, is sitting right in front of you."

 

"I scare you?" Nicole breathes out, soft smile forming on her lips.

 

"Yes... Yes, you do. Because I don't wanna be friends," Waverly says, swallowing heavily before continuing, "When I think about what I want to do most in this world... It's you." Nicole flashes her dimpled grin, and her eyebrow raises slightly at the thought of what Waverly is implying, however unintended that implication may be. The brunette groans slightly before she says, "Oh god, that sounded so much more romantic in my head." She takes in a quick breath and holds it for a moment before she finally says, "Just jump in anytime Nicole, because I really, really don't know how to do this." She gestures a little frantically with her hands, trying to physically shake off her nerves.

 

Nicole watches all the emotions cross that brunette's face as she speaks and the uncertainty of the little Earp's voice just makes the officer smile wider. Trying to sound sexy and reassuring at the same time, she replies, "Oh, sure you do."

 

Waverly shakes her head slightly, still a little unsure and says, "Maybe, I should just stop talking."

 

Nicole smirks a little half smile and begins to wrap the brunette's scarf around her hands, pulling her in as she speaks, "See, you're getting better at this already."

 

Waverly seems to finally catch on, and smiles a little wickedly, bringing her face within inch or two of the officer's. She glances down at the redhead's lips as she half whispers, "Maybe you should stop talking too."

 

Witty comeback at the ready, Nicole immediately quips, "Well, maybe you should make me."

 

Waverly glances down at her lips again and doesn't hesitate when she presses their lips together again. It's soft at first, but when Nicole pushes back against her, Waverly loses all sense of control. Nicole keeps pushing her until Waverly is tipping over on to her back, head and shoulders resting on her crumpled, discarded jacket and the arm of the couch. Their lips only part for a moment, but it's long enough for their eyes to flash open and meet, smiles gracing both sets of lips before they're crashing against each other again. Nicole moves the hand not trapped behind Waverly's back down the brunette's body and immediately hitches Waverly's leg up over her hip allowing herself to press her body further down into the brunette's. They're kissing and rocking together slightly when Nicole breaks off from Waverly's lips and she brings her free hand up to the brunette's chin. Fumbling slightly, she rubs her thumb over Waverly's soft lips before pulling her into a tender, almost chaste kiss, before diving back in again, pressing heated kiss after heated kiss to the Earp's lips. Nicole's hand wanders up and down Waverly's side again and when she gets her hand around the younger woman's hip she squeezes with her thumb and kneads her fingers into the side of Waverly's rear. She "Mmm's" into Waverly's mouth when the Earp's hips jerk up in response, obviously seeking some kind of friction. Nicole's head is foggy after that and they remain rocking and grinding and kissing into each other for several minutes before they're both a mess of tension and nerves. They break apart for moment, both gasping for air. The stillness in the room is suddenly broken by a grumbling voice coming from somewhere outside. Nicole groans as she recognizes the voice. She steels her will and very reluctantly pulls back from Waverly. 

 

The brunette frowns when she feels cold air rush in where Nicole's warmth used to be and Nicole smiles sweetly at her. Nicole chuckles and says, "Come on. We've got to get out of here before Nedley busts in on us. We can sneak back to the bull pen real quick and get ourselves put back together there." She gestures to her untucked shirt and Waverly's wild hair. Waverly just laughs along and accepts Nicole's hand when she offers to help her up. They smooth themselves out a little, only with the quickest of motions, before Waverly is gathering her jacket and they slip out of the office. 

 

They succeed in slinking down the hall and just as they reach the bullpen Wynonna comes walking down the hall. The older Earp's head is down and she looks like she's on a mission. Nicole quickly ushers the brunette through the door and they end up with Nicole pressing Waverly up against a filing cabinet with Nicole's hand over Waverly's mouth, when the brunette can't hold in her nervous laughter anymore. Nicole just smiles down at the shorter woman and cups her other hand under her chin. The officer gives Waverly a stern look and before she knows it Waverly's laughing has quieted to just slightly heavy breathing. 

 

Wynonna's footsteps pass by and continue on towards the BBD and Nicole quickly removes her hand and replaces it with her lips. It's just like their previous kisses, all heat and spark, but it's tender and emotional too. It's the kind of kiss that says, 'I love you and I don't know any other way to say it right now.' Waverly sighs into the kiss and Nicole smiles, contented. Nicole pulls back again and Waverly actually whimpers at the loss of contact. Nicole rubs her hands across the Earp's face soothingly and turns Waverly's eyes up to meet her's. She breaks their silent staring, saying, "As much as I wanna keeping doing this... And more might I add, this isn't the time or place for us. So, why don't we meet up later? Tonight? Or does a big planner like you need more notice than that?" Nicole laughs quietly at her own joke. 

 

Waverly smirks back at her and says hopefully, "Yeah, I can do tonight, if you can wait 'til I get off from Shorty's, probably ten or eleven."

 

Nicole smiles at her and says, "Sounds good to me. I could even swing by after I get off from here and have dinner if you think I'd get good service." Nicole winks at the brunette and Waverly blushes hotly. "And don't you worry about keeping me up too late... I have tomorrow off," Nicole leans down a little and moves her hands around Waverly's back. Nicole squeezes the brunette to her chest tightly and Waverly swoons at the officer's strength. Nicole takes the extra weight easily in her arms and she realizes it's never felt so good to simply hold a woman in her arms as it does now, because Nicole knows that Waverly if will have her there will never be another woman in her arms again.

 

They part ways a minute or two later, another kiss or two later, Nicole promising to see the Earp again shortly. Nicole escorts Waverly out of the station, under Nedley's watchful eye. When she returns to the front desk, Nedley is still standing there, arms folded across his chest. Nicole nods to him as she resumes her seat behind the front desk. He allows her to sit for a moment before he clears his throat. Another moment or two passes before Nedley finally says, "Not that it's really any of my business, but next time use the conference room or one of the interrogation rooms... My office isn't as private as it seems." Nicole blushes a dark shade of crimson and Nedley chuckles before he adds, "Don't worry, Haught. It's just audio recording in there and once I figured out who had been in my office, I stopped listening to the playback right then. No reason for me to intrude on something obviously meant to be private... And well, let's just say I already erased that part of the tape."

 

Nicole can barely breathe as she chokes out, "Thanks, Sheriff." She turns to him and blushes again at the knowing smirk on his face. She stiffens her features, shoulders back, body coming to an attention posture as she sternly adds, "Won't happen again sir. You have my word." She quickly turns back to the desk and attempts to bury her embarrassment in the papers that rest there.

 

Nedley laugh rings out as he turns to his office and enters it, closing the door behind him.

 

Nicole is utterly mortified. Of course, she should have known Nedley would notice the blinds had been drawn closed and that the couch probably looked different than when he had left for Shorty's. It's not like she had made any attempt to hide what they had been doing and she curses herself for it. She shouldn't have let things go so far, but after all the waiting, finally getting a green light from Waverly had momentarily stripped Nicole of all her inhibitions. The charge between them had intoxicated her, changed her and she's not sure she'll ever feel the same again.


	25. Chapter 25

The rest of Nicole's shift drags on and just when Nicole thinks she can't take anymore of this tedious waiting until she can see Waverly again, Joe Fernandez walks through the door. He beams a wide smile at her and says, "Hey, Haught. How's it going?"

 

Nicole smiles and says, "Oh you know... It's going." She laughs a little at the knowing expression on Joe's face before asking, "You on patrol or the desk tonight?"

 

"Desk duty tonight for me, though I don't know who's on the patrol shift. It was supposed to be Susan's night on the desk, but Nedley switched her to this morning's shift to help cover for Charlie. I guess Brad's on his way in, and you know how much he loves night patrol," Joe rambles along in his easy sort of way, adding after a brief pause to breathe, "I hear you had some excitement today..." Nicole blushes unexpectedly and Joe cocks his head to the side and his lips curl up in a cheeky smile. "Well, I didn't mean that kind of excitement, but do tell... who's the lucky girl?"

 

Nicole just shakes her head and says, "That's not for me to say, even if there was something to tell."

 

"Oh come on, Haught. I know that look. The conference room?" Joe asks arching his eyebrow a little higher.

 

Nicole can't stifle the laugh that escapes at that suggestion and instead of backing down she presses, replying, "Nope... Nedley's couch."

 

Joe's mouth drops open and he's speechless. After more than a few seconds of standing there mouth agape, he pulls himself together enough to say, "Damn, kid. That takes some balls."

 

Nicole bites the inside of her cheek to keep from busting out laughing. She just blurts out, "Actually it was more of a no balls allowed sort of thing." 

 

Joe's eyes widen comically as the joke hits him and he doubles over laughing. He eventually gets control over himself again, only for Nicole to stand and start to make her way toward the locker rooms. He calls after her, "Hey, we were talking... What's the rush?"

 

"It's eight o'clock, Joe... I've got places to be," Nicole calls over her shoulder as she turns the corner, speeding up her pace, she quickly makes her way down the hall to change before heading to Shorty's.

 

 

~~~

 

 

As Nicole makes her way across the street, heading for the front door of the bar, she's thanking her lucky stars she had some decent civilian clothes in her locker to change into. Now sporting a tank top and mechanic style button down under her uniform jacket with some hip-hugging black jeans and her work boots, she feels confident and collected. She's going to pour on the charm tonight and watch as Waverly melts for her.

 

She strides through the double doors and into the main part of the bar and runs right into Gus. Nicole sputters, "Oh geez, Gus I'm sorry. I should have been paying better attention."

 

Gus gives her a little smirk and says, "Don't worry about it, kid. I might be old, but I remember what young love is like."

 

Nicole blushes and smiles hiding some of her face in her collar. Gus turns back towards the bar and the officer finally looks out past her immediate surroundings and when her eyes meet Waverly's she can't stop herself from smiling wider and bee-lining for the young Earp. When she reaches Waverly, she's a little breathless and when she says "Hi," it comes out more like a whisper.

 

Waverly grins and says "Hey," quietly too. Her eye lashes flutter closed and when she reopens them Nicole swears she's never seen anything more beautiful. "Thank you," the brunette adds and Nicole blushes again, much more vividly this time when she realizes she said that out loud. The officer hides her face behind her hands, mortified that she doesn't have better control over herself around this woman. Waverly's hand covers one of her's and Nicole finally lets her hands fall from her face. She looks into Waverly's eyes again and is immediately lost in the swirling brown and grey. They stand there just looking at each other for another moment or two when Gus clears her throat as she crosses behind Waverly behind the bar. Nicole is the first to recover when she finally takes a seat on the empty bar stool in front of her and asks, "Could I get a beer and a menu?" She winks at the young Earp when she smiles and nods. Gus just rolls her eyes and keeps walking.

 

Waverly brings Nicole her drink and a menu and can't stop smiling as she says, "The special night is ribeye steak and potatoes with a side salad, in case you were wondering." Her smile transforms into a smirk and she leans in, whispering now, "If you play your cards right it might not be the only thing that'll be special about tonight."

 

Nicole laughs lightly and replies, "Every minute I spend with you is special, Waves." Waverly blushes furiously and turns away from the redhead, hiding her face. Nicole calls out to her in a low voice, "Hey, don't hide that pretty face from me... I've waited a long time for that blush."

 

Waverly turns back to her and says, "You're so good at this... I'm still not sure I'm doing much more than just putting my foot in my mouth."

 

Nicole laughs again and replies, "Yeah, but I bet it's such a cute foot though."

 

Waverly blushes again, but doesn't turn away this time. Instead she smiles and says, "Have you had a chance to think about what you'd like to eat?"

 

Nicole beams a wide grin and snickers under her breath. Waverly looks horrified for moment, realizing at what she had just implied, but Nicole's easy grin and little laugh set her at ease again. Nicole pulls herself together enough to say, "The special sounds good to me."

 

Waverly nods and asks, "How do you want your steak?"

 

Nicole considers for a second before she says, "Medium rare." When Waverly arches an eyebrow at her she adds, "What can I say?... I like it juicy."

 

Waverly groans playfully and pats Nicole's hand before she says, "Let me just go put that in for you real quick." She disappears quickly from behind the bar, heading for the kitchen. 

 

Nicole is watching her walk away, her hips swaying and midriff exposed and Nicole unconsciously licks her lips. A voice interrupts her hungry thoughts saying, "See something you like Officer Haught?" Nicole turns to find Doc standing behind her also enjoying the view. She glares at him and he realizes he may have crossed a line, immediately back pedaling, "Sorry... Didn't mean to interrupt, now. Just wanted to offer you that drink I had promised you."

 

Nicole's lips curl up into a smirk and she says, "I think I"d like that very much," gesturing for him to take the seat next to her.

 

Another minute later, Waverly re-emerges from the kitchen and Nicole can see the worry lines across her forehead from all the way across the bar. When she finally approaches the crease in her forehead looks like it might become permanent. Nicole just chuckles and says, "Hey, Waves. Think Doc and I could get some shots?" She turns towards Doc and asks, "Whiskey? The good stuff?" He nods and she turns back to Waverly and smiles at the look of confusion on the brunette's face. "Do you guys have any Irish whiskey?"

 

Waverly regains her composure with a little help from Nicole's casual tone and replies, "Yeah... We've got Jameson, Tullamore Dew and Redbreast." She snickers when she says the word 'breast' like a 12 year old boy and Nicole and Doc both grin at the brunette's childish reaction.

 

Nicole licks her bottom lip ever so slightly and looks directly into the Earp's eyes when she says "Redbreast sounds good, but I'm a Tullamore Dew girl. What about you Doc?"

 

Doc's easy smile twitches over his lips and his moustache bristles a little when he says, "I'll have the same. I've really never been persnickety when it comes to whiskey."

 

Waverly just nods and says, "Coming right up," and she turns away from the bar to grab the bottle. She brings it back over to Nicole and Doc and lines up three rocks glasses. She pours a healty two fingers into each one and recaps the bottle. She arranges them quickly, sliding one to Nicole and then one to Doc and keeping one back for herself.

 

Nicole grasps her glass and raises it, gesturing for the others to do the same. As their glasses clink together she says, "To new friends." She winks at the brunette before she tips her glass back and drains it.

 

Waverly sputters for a moment and she glances over to Doc hoping he didn't notice that little exchange and she breathes a sigh of relief as he seems to be totally wrapped up in his drink. She downs her glass quickly and coughs a little as she tries to speak in the same breath. "C- Can I get you all anything else?" she says as she begins to gather their glasses.

 

Doc stays her hand on his glass and says, "I'll take another for the road. I should probably head back to the homestead before too long. There's a conversation from earlier with Wynonna that we really ought to finish." 

 

Waverly tops off his glass and he downs it just as quickly as the first one. He makes to fish around in his pockets for money he knows he doesn't have, when the brunette reaches across the bar to him and says, "Don't worry about it. Drinks on me today." The gunslinger gives her a brief nod before he excuses himself and heads out the front door. Waverly turns her attention back to Nicole and finds her expression troubling. She smiles and immediately says, "He's been kinda down on his luck the last few weeks. He's even moved onto the homestead for a while. Been shacking up in the barn."

 

Nicole was a little taken a back by Waverly buying Doc his drinks and the soft touch of her hand on his arm had made her jealous, just for a moment, until Waverly turned back to her with that sweet smile that was meant just for her. She blinks when she realizes Waverly is waiting for some kind of response from her and she smiles and says, "Yeah, he seems like a good guy. Kinda old fashioned, but in a comforting way."

 

Waverly balks out a hearty laugh and replies, "Yep... that's Doc. Old fashioned..." She snaps out of her revelry and says, "Why don"t I go check on your dinner, huh? Wouldn"t want you to complain to management about how slow the service is because I got distracted having a drink with a beautiful customer and her friend." She smiles shyly and looks away.

 

Nicole quickly reaches across the counter to the brunette and gently places her fingers over the younger woman's forearm. "Oh, you'll get no complaints from me, that's for sure."

 

Waverly blushes hotly and turns away again, only glancing back when she reaches the kitchen to see Nicole's eyes still glued to her. She smiles so wide her face crinkles up and Nicole returns her grin with a bright dimpled smirk of her own. Waverly shakes her head and pushes through the kitchen door. Nicole sighs softly to herself and waits patiently for the little brunette to return. She sips her beer and realizes one shot in she's already a little tipsy. She sets the beer down and thinks, 'Ask for a water. Don't get so drunk you can't drive home.'

 

Gus appears from nowhere with a glass of water and Nicole looks up at her from her musings into her beer. The older woman just smirks and slides the glass to the officer. Nicole starts to say something but Gus cuts her off, "Been doing this my entire adult life. I'd know that look anywhere."

 

"Thanks, Gus. Didn't think that one shot would hit me so hard. I guess, it has been a while since lunch... but come think of it I'm not sure I actually ate lunch today," the officer says, as she realizes she definitely skipped lunch today. She was probably in her cruiser with Waverly when she should have been on lunch and the subsequent jumping that occurred shortly there after had completely driven that kind of hunger from her mind. 

 

Thankfully, Waverly appears just then with a pile of steak and potatoes on a plate in one hand and a small salad in a bowl in the other. Nicole gives her this look like she's an angel and Gus chuckles and saunters off.

 

Nicole recovers her wits a little when Waverly sets the plate and bowl down in front of her, but is instantly distracted again when Waverly turns away and crosses to the other side of the counter and bends over reaching underneath for something. Nicole's inner-monologue comes to a grinding halt when Waverly looks over her shoulder and catches the redhead blatantly staring at her ass. She smirks and bends down a little lower to catch Nicole's gaze with the extra movement. Nicole immediately snaps out of her daze at the so, so soft skin on display and offers Waverly a small shrug and a smirk. She thinks, 'Well... That wasn't subtle, but damn.' Suddenly very thirsty, she reaches out and grasps the water glass tipping it up for two big swallows.

 

Waverly sees the smug smirk as a challenge and she turns towards the officer before slowly unbending herself, pushing out her breasts with a slight arch of her back. She licks her lips, unconsciously as she does and Nicole chokes on her inappropriately timed gulp of water. The brunette flashes a satisfied smile and returns to the officer with a set of silverware and some salad dressing that Nicole didn't even notice her pull out from under the counter. The brunette stands there expectantly as she waits for the redhead to stop sputtering. Waverly decides one more push won't hurt and casually says, "Everything all good here?" 

 

Nicole just stares at her for a second before she says, "Oh, yeah. I didn't know this place doubles as a diner theatre, too. I'm all for dinner and a show." She winks and grins that big dimpled grin at the brunette. "Though I can't help but wonder if the star might be interested in a more private kind of show later, just me and her."

 

"Is that so, Officer Haught? I guess you'll just have to stick around to find out. Eat your dinner now, wouldn't want it to get cold..." Waverly says, trailing off as she turns away to serve a few other customers who look thirsty.

 

Nicole blushes a little when the brunette turns away, hoping she hadn't been too forward just now. Waverly's reply seems like she interested, but Nicole wonders if she's pushing it. 'I mean we're not even on a real date right now. I am definitely paying for this meal tonight, one way or the other," Nicole thinks as she takes the first bite of her steak. It's a little more towards medium than she usually likes, but it is quite tasty and she eats with gusto when she realizes again how hungry she's become.

 

Eventually, Nicole eating slows as she reaches the end of her meal. With just a couple bites left, Waverly approaches and sits on the bar stool next to her. "I guess it was good? Don't think I've ever seen anyone eat that fast," she says as she bumps her should against the redhead's side.

 

Nicole looks over and smiles as she says, "Yeah it is really good. I also kinda realized I haven't eaten anything except a bowl of oatmeal this morning for breakfast. I guess I was kinda distracted around lunch time today."

 

Waverly smiles sweetly and looks down at her own fidgeting hands and replies, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, in that case can I interest you in some dessert? We've got apple pie and iced banana muffins..." She sighs and takes in a big breath before she says, "Or you could skip dessert and we could get on with that more private show you were asking about? Gus just told me I could take the rest of the night off if I wanted to and for once I'm not even thinking about arguing with her." She smiles suggestively at the redhead and Nicole swallows hard at the sudden change in subject.

 

"Like I said earlier, Waves, anything you want... Just let me settle up with that cute bartender and we can get outta here," Nicole says smoothly, looking around the bar, smiling at her cleverness.

 

Waverly lays a playful slap against the officer's upper arm and says, "You know I'm not letting you pay for dinner, right?"

 

Nicole just laughs as her eyes catch Gus' and she nods to the older woman. Gus crosses the bar ringing a towel over her hands and says, "Anything else I can get you, Nicole?"

 

Nicole smiles big and wide and declares, "Not a thing except the check." She slips her hand into her top pocket and hands over the credit card she had stashed in there earlier for easy access.

 

Gus chuckles and shuffles over to the register to cash out her check and returns a moment later handing Nicole a receipt. She signs the top copy leaving a fairly extravagant tip and slides it across the bar to the older woman. Waverly for her part can't do much, but watch the redhead's fluid movements and self assuredness as a huge turn on and she squirms a little in anticipation. Once Gus makes her way over to another group of customers, Waverly scrunches a little closer to the redhead and whispers into their ear, "Yeah we should get out of here, before I do something you might have to arrest me for..."


	26. Chapter 26

Nicole and Waverly make their way out of Shorty's through the front doors and when they start to turn in different directions, they both laugh. Nicole is heading for her truck and Waverly her Jeep. Nicole turns back first and raises a hand to scratch at the back of her neck sheepishly. She breaks off from her laughter and says, "So... You wanna come back to my place?"

 

Waverly laughs a little harder and upon to seeing Nicole almost disappointed look quickly says, "I thought you'd never ask." She throws her arms around the redhead's shoulders and nuzzles up into her neck. She presses her lips to the redhead's hot neck before she whispers, "I'll admit I'm nervous, but really I can't wait to finish what we started earlier."

 

Nicole shivers at the hot breath on her neck and pulls back just slightly to look down into the brunette's eyes. Eyes dark and dilated, Waverly stares back and Nicole can see the desire, but she still has to ask, "Are you sure, Waves? I don't want to pressure you into something you might not be ready for just because I am."

 

"Don't you worry about that, Officer Haught. I'm ready... I just might need some help... I'm not sure I'll, uh, that I'll know what to do... you know, with you," Waverly says, blushing furiously at her inexperience with this sort of thing. Truly, the only flirting she ever had to do with Champ was smile and he'd be on her like a flash, so the intricate dance of back and forth with the redhead is new and not just in the 'it's a girl' sort of way.

 

Nicole smiles sweetly at the younger woman and says, "We can go as fast or as slow as you want, Waves. I'd be happy to just back to that excellent kissing from earlier."

 

Waverly blushes again and pecks the redhead on the lips quickly before pulling back. Nicole nods her head a couple times brushing her nose over the brunette's and she says, "So... Logistics. You wanna ride with me or take separate cars? Separate cars has its appealing qualities, but I'd be happy to drive you back into town whenever you're ready." She raises her eyebrow slightly and grins that half dimpled smile that's always driven girls crazy.

 

And it has exactly the right effect on Waverly, as she stutters in her reply, "Oh, I- I..." She takes a deep breath and starts again, "I'll just ride with you, if that's really ok?"

 

"Of course, just wait her a minute and I'll go grab with truck... It's still at the station," Nicole says as she pulls all the way away from the brunette, letting her hand linger on her arm for just a second before she sprints off towards the station.

 

Not 3 minutes later, Nicole is pulling up in her truck, to Waverly standing talking to two people that she can't quite make out from this distance. The closer she gets the more definition is revealed and Nicole smiles when she realizes Waverly is standing with Chrissy and a young man that Nicole can only assume is Pete. She pulls up into the closest available parking spot and jumps out, jogging over to the group. Chrissy smiles brightly when she spots the redhead and gently pulls her hand free from her date's and hugs Nicole when she reaches them.

 

"Hey Chrissy," Nicole says, laughing into their hug, pulling away and turning slightly toward the young man the blonde was holding hands with a moment earlier. He looks a little startled and his smile sinks for a moment. Nicole just laughs a little harder and extracts herself completely from Chrissy to return to Waverly's side. Locking eyes with that little brunette, she opens her arms and Waverly immediately moves into them. Nicole hugs her briefly before slipping one hand behind her back, holding tight to the younger woman in a side hug and quickly offering her other hand to Chrissy's date, saying "Hey, you must be Pete? Chrissy's told me a lot about you."

 

He steps forward quickly and takes Nicole's hand in a firm but easy handshake, meeting her gaze with a smile. "Yeah, I'm Pete, Pete York. Good to meet you, Officer Haught. Chrissy's told me a lot about you, too," he says giving her hand one shake too many before releasing her hand. 

 

Nicole for her part has just a moment's hesitation before she says, "All good things I hope?" side-eyeing her blonde friend.

 

Chrissy blushes slightly and slides back into Pete's side, grabbing his hand. She meets his eyes and replies to Nicole question, not looking away from him. "Of course, Officer Haught." She adds all the sarcasm she can muster to the title and when she sees Pete's smile fade she snickers and says, mostly just to him, "Lighten up babe... Her name is Nicole, and it's not like she's arresting you. No need to be so formal right, Haught-shot?" The blonde turns to Nicole and beams a big bright smile.

 

"Totally right, Chrissy. Pete, please call me Nicole. Officer Haught is definitely off the clock," she says with a reassuring smile.

 

Pete looks kind of sheepish and smiles briefly as he says, "Right... Nicole, right."

 

Chrissy can tell he's not going to be anymore talkative than that and decides to let him off the hook, saying, "Well, we'll let you guys get on with your night. Unless you'd like to join us for a night cap?" She gestures towards Shorty's with a wink.

 

Nicole laughs and replies, "Actually, we were just heading out. Rain check?" She looks down at Waverly still nuzzled into her side hug and the brunette nods, earnestly. She glances back up to the other couple and they both nod, too. "Maybe we could even make it a double date?" she adds with a another glance back at the brunette. When Waverly giggles, she knows she's made the right choice of words, and continues, "Maybe one day next week?"

 

Chrissy smiles and quickly responds, "Yeah, I'll text you both tomorrow and we can figure something out. You guys have a good night, ok?"

 

Nicole pipes up, "Yeah, you guys too."

 

Chrissy and Pete start to walk away, and Nicole turns her full attention to the quiet brunette. Waverly seems to be concentrating on something and the quiet between them isn't quite awkward, but if it goes on much longer Nicole suspects it'll become that way. She squeezes Waverly a little tighter and says, "You ok? You look like steam might come rolling out your ears any second..."

 

The brunette snaps out of wherever she was and says, "Yep, I'm ok... Just thinking."

 

"Care to share?" Nicole asks, quietly and as innocently as possible, ever aware of not wanting to pressure Waverly into anything.

 

"Um... Sure, but can we get going. I feel kinda exposed just standing here in the sidewalk," Waverly replies, her voice wavering slightly as looks around, sort of suspiciously.

 

"Oh god, yeah, let's go," Nicole exlcaims and begins ushering the brunette towards her truck. When they arrive, Nicole opens the passenger door for the younger woman and hustles around the front of the truck to jump in the driver's side. 

 

Waverly considers just buckling up on the passenger's side, but as she watches Nicole lope around the front of the truck she slides into the middle of the bench seat and buckles in there instead. Nicole throws open the driver's door just as the buckle clicks home and Waverly looks up at her with a shy smile and a blush, like she's been caught doing something she's not supposed to be doing.

 

Nicole casually slides into the cab and her thigh presses up against the brunette's, from hip to knee. The warmth there takes her breath for a moment and Nicole's brain runs wild with thoughts of other places on the brunette's body that are sure to be warm, too. Her revelry is short lived though when Waverly slips her hand into Nicole's and the redhead yelps when icy fingers intertwine with her own. Waverly chuckles, and mumbles a quiet, "Sorry," as she moves to remove her hand from their embrace. Nicole just grips down on the brunette's hand a little tighter and gently shoves both of their hands into the oversized front pocket in her uniform jacket. Waverly sighs at the sudden encompassing warmth and Nicole sighs too, in pure contentment.

 

The ride to Nicole's house starts out quiet, but eventually Nicole feels compelled to ask Waverly, "So... What were you thinking back there?"

 

"Oh... uh..." Waverly begins, but sputters and takes a moment to breathe before she just spits it all out, "Honestly... I was thinking how strangely natural this all seems to me. Like... All my nerves and worries and well... frankly, my reservations about... us, being us, were all for nothing, because how I feel when I'm with you... It's like I spent so much time worrying about what it would be like to be with you, when I could have just been with you. And I let my past, you know, with Champ, color what I have with you and I guess... I mean, that C/D you made for me, really... I- I realized how silly that all was and that you're just so good, so good at all of this and I'm- I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed now I guess..." Waverly cuts herself off when the redhead smirks and looks over at her as they stop at a stop sign.

 

"Well... That's a lot of thoughts for such a short time span... I guess I was right about the steam that was pushing to escape," Nicole says, with a laugh. Waverly manages to laugh too, although her's comes out quite a bit more nervously then the redhead's easy chuckle and she quickly hides her face with her hands, embarrassed. Nicole reaches her free hand across her body and places it soothingly on top of the brunette's knee, rubbing her thumb back and forth reassuringly. After a moment she drags her eyes and her hand back to the road and pulls away from the stop sign as she says, "Listen, Waves... I- I wouldn't want this with you any other way. I want you to be just as in this as I am and if that's means I had to wait for you to be ready, then it's all worth it, 'cause the way I feel when I'm with you... I've never felt this way, not once my whole life. There's no place on Earth I'd rather be than right here."

 

Waverly swoons and sighs delightedly. "How do you always know just what to say to make me feel special?" she asks, quietly, barely above a whisper.

 

Nicole openly chuckles at the question and Waverly pulls away, feeling a bit dejected. The redhead catches her grim expression, she smiles as wide as she can and says, "That's easy, Waverly Earp. It's because to me, you are special." She leans her head over and kisses the top of Waverly's head when the brunette nuzzles back into her shoulder at the sentiment. Nicole enjoys the quiet for just a moment before she adds, "And for the record, I don't always know what to say, but sometimes the right words fall together at the right time, just like us."

 

Waverly nuzzles in closer and Nicole just pulls her in even tighter. The rest of the drive is made in quiet reflection and when they finally pull into Nicole's drive way, Waverly pulls away completely when Nicole squeezes lightly on her fingers that are still intertwined with the redhead's inside her coat pocket. Nicole reaches up and presses a button clipped to the sun visor and Waverly giggles as the garage door opens. Nicole's tone is more smug than she'd like when she explains, "Yeah- Yeah, finally got a chance to fix that. It's so nice to have my garage back." She pulls the truck in far enough to close the door behind them and with another push of the button it slides closed. Nicole slides out of the driver's seat and Waverly scoots her legs across to climb out on the same side. 

 

When she reaches the edge, Nicole places her hands on the brunette's hourglass hips and lifts her up and out of the truck. The little Earp can't help the giggle that escapes and when Nicole places her on the ground, looking at her expectantly. Waverly smiles that show stopping smile and says, "I really like it when you pick me up like that... Like I weigh nothing at all... It- It's really super-Haught." 

 

Waverly busts out laughing at her her own pun and Nicole just laughs right along with her. She catches her breath a little and says, "I bet you're super proud of yourself for that one. Let's go in, shall we?" Waverly nods enthusiastically and Nicole grabs her duffel bag out of the tool box in the truck bed before escorting Waverly inside. They both take of their shoes and coats in the entryway and Waverly pads down the hall towards the laundry room. Nicole drops her duffle bag just inside the garage door and reaches down to unstrap her secondary weapon and its holster from her ankle. Waverly looks back just in time to catch Nicole's position, half squatting, half bent over, the view of the redhead's legs and ass making her mouth run dry, as all the warmth and moisture in her body rushes elsewhere. She doesn't even realizing she's moving until she's pressing her hips against the officer's ass, running her hands over the taller woman's hips.

 

Nicole squeaks a little in surprise, dropping her weapon the couple of inches to the floor, but she doesn't pull away, allowing herself to be pulled closer in by the younger woman. She teasingly presses down with with one leg, essentially rolling her ass against the brunette's pelvis. Waverly gasps and her fingers thread through the redhead's belt loops. A whispered, "Holy shit," escapes Waverly's lips as her grip tightens on Nicole's hips when the redhead rolls them again. 

 

Nicole is smirking at Waverly's whispered curse, and quickly turns in her embrace sending the younger woman back a little, until Nicole closes the distance between them again. She looks down into Waverly's glassy, dilated pupils and Nicole feels her pulse quicken, heart pounding in her chest. 'It's now or never, Nicole,' she thinks as she presses her lips quickly to Waverly's forehead. She quietly whispers against her skin, "I have to ask this again... Are you-"

 

Waverly cuts her off with a hot, all-fire kiss and Nicole's heart rate triples. She presses down into the kiss and deepens it sliding her tongue lightly across Waverlyls bottom lip before sucking it into her mouth for just a brief moment. Waverly moans open mouthed against the redhead's lips and Nicole begins to lose her control over her emotions and her hormones. She nuzzles her face into the brunette's neck and whispers, "I- I. Need. You. Waves," punctuating each word with a hot breath against Waverly's skin.

 

The brunette wraps her arms around Nicole's neck pulling her tighter in and Nicole reacts, running her hands over her hips just once before sliding her hands under the shorter woman's butt, to its juncture where is meets her thighs and lifts, pulling Waverly closer as she goes. Waverly gasps and wraps her legs firmly around the taller woman, locking her legs at the ankle. A moment later, her gasps morph into giggles as Nicole carries her through the house until she reaches the stairs. Briefly pressing the little brunette up against the wall draws another gasp from the little Earp and when hands work their way into her hair, Nicole allows her head to be pulled gently to the side exposing the side of her neck to Waverly's waiting mouth. 

 

Nicole is glad she has Waverly pressed up against the wall because the feeling of the brunette's hot mouth of her neck makes her knees feel weak and she presses herself tighter against the brunette's body to compensate. Waverly's head lolls back from her gentle kissing and suckling to moan hotly again over the now wet skin of Nicole's neck and they both shiver at how good it feels to be this close to each other. 

 

Spending a moment just breathing together, Waverly tucks her face back into the redhead's neck and soon Nicole regains the proper function in her legs and begins to push herself up the stairs, arms not quite burning with the pressure of Waverly's weight, but when she feels the brunette rubbing the hand that's not securely holding her to the officer's chest over her straining shoulder muscles, she abandons all thoughts of not carrying the woman all the way to her bed.

 

When Nicole bumps the light switch with her elbow, softly illuminating the room, she gasps as Mimir streaks out from under her feet. Nicole jumps out of the way, jostling the younger woman and Waverly's hips grind hard against Nicole's torso. The redhead groans loudly, in obvious pain, and Waverly pulls back quickly, tumbling out of Nicole's arms landing half on her side, half on her butt on the edge of Nicole's king sized bed. Winded slightly from the impact, she chokes out a nervous laugh and turns back to Nicole. "God, are you ok? Is it your ribs?"

 

Nicole stumbles to the bed and sits beside her, catching her own breath. She looks over at the brunette and nods, "Yeah, my left side is still a little tender."

 

Waverly slaps her arm lightly and says, "Then we shouldn't be- shouldn't be roughhousing like this then... No more carrying me." She gives Nicole a stern look before she adds, "At least 'til you're all healed up," expression shifting to a seductive smirk with her suggestive tone.

 

Nicole laughs lightheartedly and says, "Is that what the kids are calling these days... roughhousing." She smiles at the younger woman and when she sees the stern look Waverly is shooting her she quickly adds, "Yes, Ma'am," with a mock salute and smirk of her own.

 

They sit quietly side by side on the edge of Nicole's bed, the redhead's feet planted securely on the floor, Waverly's shorter legs swinging back and forth at the knee. This time Waverly is the first one to act on her feelings as she slides her left hand over Nicole's thigh, allowing her other hand to fidget nervously against the seam of her own jeans. Nicole looks over at her and sighs, "God, you're just so beautiful, you know?"

 

Waverly blushes furiously, her face, neck and upper chest turning bright red. She looks down at her hand on Nicole's thigh and mumbles something totally unintelligible. Nicole snuggles up closer to the younger woman and slips a hand behind her back. She plants a quick chaste kiss on Waverly's cheek and whispers, "I'm sorry... What was that?"

 

"I said, Thanks, but I'm not the beautiful one here, you are," Waverly blurts out, still half whispering, voice growing louder and more confident as she goes on.

 

Nicole blushes this time, and plants a sweet kiss to the side of the brunette's neck before she whispers, "Thank you." Nicole places more sweet kisses on her neck again and again, drawing little whimpers and sighs from the younger woman as she moves her lips up and down the column of Waverly's neck, from ear to collarbone and back again. When she reaches the cute little ear the second time she breathes hotly across it before sucking a small, red mark into the skin right below it. 

 

Waverly moans loudly and arches her back and neck into the redhead's embrace and waiting lips. The Earp manages to cough out a few words in between heavy breaths, practically begging Nicole to keep going when she utters, "P- Please, 'Cole... I- I need- need you, too."


	27. Chapter 27

It's like a switch flips inside her brain. All doubts, worries and hesitations are suddenly gone and have been replaced with a desperate kind of hope, an undeniable desire, an absolutely irresistible need. Nicole pushes the brunette slowly and gently down on to the bed and begins kissing her way down, delicately swinging one leg over to straddle the smaller woman's hips. She props her upper body up with one hand as her lips reach the brunette's shoulder, using her now free hand to slip Waverly's "Shorty's" shirt off her shoulder a bit to gain more access to the brunette's incredible skin. She nips and licks and kisses back and forth across the top hem of the shirt and traces her lips all along the now stretching neckline. She skims her nose across the top of one breast before dragging her face up, kissing and suckling her way north again to lavish the other side of the brunette's neck with attention. Careful not to make anymore marks, she nips gently at Waverly's ear, as she drags her blunt nails down Waverly's arm, stopping once she reaches the wrist. She wraps a couple fingers around the slender wrist and pulls her face away from the younger woman's neck.

 

The brunette groans loudly at the loss of Nicole's lips at her neck and it comes out rough and needy. She's barely even managing to breathe really, so the audible groan takes Nicole by surprise. The redhead looks back to Waverly's face and when she sees the frustrated, almost pained, expression on the young Earp's face, she sighs deeply and lifts the wrist still captured in her hand to her lips and kisses her way up into Waverly's open palm. Waverly slides her hand over Nicole's face and cups her jaw, sliding her thumb briefly over Nicole's swollen lips. She smiles sweetly when Nicole's eyes meet her's. She opens her mouth to speak, but Nicole places a single finger over the brunette's mouth and Waverly's eyes light up instantly. The brunette swoops her jaw a little and takes Nicole's finger into her mouth, rolling her tongue around it once before sucking it deep into her mouth.

 

Nicole's eyes blow wide and darken suddenly as Waverly sucks her finger in and out of her mouth, grasping Nicole's hand with both of her own. The redhead's jaw drops wide open wider and wider when she feels Waverly lick over the tip every time her finger slides out past the second knuckle. The groan that escapes Nicole's lips cuts through the air as Waverly releases her finger with a loud, wet pop. Nicole is panting now and she's not sure she's ever been this turned on. She grabs Waverly's face with her still wet hand and drives their lips together in the dirtiest of kisses. She leans her weight back a bit more over her hips and pulls her hand off the bed, holding all her upper body weight with her lower back and thigh muscles. She rushes her hands to Waverly's sides and immediately begins pushing them up under her shirt, stopping when both palms were flat against her sides, fingertips barely brushing the brunette's lace bra. She lowers her face back to crook of Waverly's neck and whispers, "Up, ok?"

 

It takes the younger woman a moment to understand the question, but when she does she wraps her arms around the redhead's neck and Nicole slowly lifts the brunette off the bed, pulling her own arms up to take of the brunette's shirt off in one fluid motion. Waverly shivers as the redhead's fingers graze over her bra and then her underarms. Waverly's arms are forced up and off of Nicole's shoulders with the he action, but Nicole quickly swings one arm behind her back to support her weight as the other whips the shirt across the room. Waverly giggles nervously and Nicole huffs, "What's so funny, Waves?"

 

Waverly tries to form a sentence as Nicole lowers her back down to the bed, but all she manages to get out is, "S- always so smooth... Gonna.... Exp-" Her voice breaks mid-word when Nicole's finger tips drag along her bare stomach.

 

Nicole can't help her laugh and draws away from the brunette, slowly pulling the straps of Waverly bra down off her shoulders. She begins to trace idle little patterns over the top of Waverly's chest with her finger tips now, hoping the gentle touches will ground the little Earp. After a few deep breaths, Waverly tries to speak again and this time she gets a whole sentence out, "Cole... I think- I'm gonna explode," before she has to catch her breath again.

 

Nicole smiles down at the beautiful girl below her and says, "Don't worry, beautiful... I've got you." Her touches become more determined and she drags her fingers over Waverly's bra and the garment begins to fall away. Waverly gasps to the sudden exposure, having not noticed that Nicole had deftly undone the clasp as she lowered her back to the bed a moment ago. Nicole teases her finger tips over the slightly pink, puckered nipples of Waverly's perfectly sized breasts. The brunette's breath hitches sharply as Nicole slides one leg over Waverly's thigh settling the weight of one her own thighs against the brunette's mound. She quickly replaces her fingers with her mouth, desperate to make Waverly totally let go.

 

Nicole stabilizes herself again, placing one hand on the mattress beside Waverly's head and she devotes herself to the idolatry of Waverly's breasts, her free hand roaming lower and lower. She takes a nipple into their mouth and sucks and rolls the bud between her lips as she flips the button open on Waverly's jeans. She begins to pull away, but Waverly's hand suddenly grips the back of her neck groaning and moaning as Nicole takes the hint and continues her ministrations over one nipple and then the other, kissing and sucking little marks into her chest in between the two.

 

Waverly, for her part, hasn't stopped squirming since Nicole first straddled her hips and now that Nicole is working her down her body, slowly opening the fly of her jeans all she can do is pant and groan and moan and squirm some more. Nicole is winding her up tighter than a top and her head is spinning, but she never wants it to stop. She bucks her hips when Nicole slides further down her body and keeps them up as the redhead begins to pull her jeans over them, desperately trying to aid in their immediate removal. 

 

Nicole snickers at the brunette's obvious impatience and she quickly returns her hands to the waistband of Waverly's simple, blue, cotton briefs. 'She wasn't expecting tonight to go this way, either,' Nicole thinks and she sighs heavily before she glances up to the brunette's face, and Waverly's eyes are already there to meet her's. Nicole raises an eyebrow and Waverly not so subtly lifts her hips, bumping her hip bones against Nicole's hands. Nicole knows that is permission to continue, but the brunette's quivering lip halts her progress. She skims her hands back up Waverly's body until her hands come to rest against her cheeks. Nicole looks deep into her eyes and whispers, "What's wrong, baby?"

 

The corners of Waverly's trembling lips curl upwards as she sputters, "I-I'm feeling a... uh... a bit over exposed."

 

Nicole quickly sits up and begins to move off the bed to retrieve Waverly's shirt and jeans, but the brunette wraps her arms around the redhead's neck. Nicole's hands flash out to support her weight as Waverly pulls her back on top of her. The brunette huffs a little laugh and pulls Nicole closer to her to whisper, "I don't wanna get dressed, silly... I just thought maybe we could level the playing field a little." Waverly slips her hands inside the top of Nicole's over shirt and begins pushing the collar down her arms. 

 

Nicole is so confused by her words at first, that when Waverly starts taking her button-down off, she is momentarily frozen. But never let it be said Nicole isn't quick on the uptake. Just the second her hands are free from the over shirt she reaches down to the hem of her tank top and whips it over her head. Her hands quickly go to the bottom of her sports bra, but Waverly's hands are already there. The brunette slinks her finger tips underneath the thick band at the bottom and pulls it away far enough to allow Nicole's ample breasts to slip free. She's totally still for a just moment as they bounce free, but instead of just staring she quickly collects herself and then slowly pushes the redhead's bra up and over head. Flinging it across the room, Waverly tries to take in the beauty in front of her, but she moans unexpectedly when Nicole presses forwards suddenly, rubbing her front over Waverly's, as their lips meet in a sweet kiss. 

 

When Nicole breaks away from the kiss and pulls back from her, Waverly protests with a grunt before she says, "Where do you think you're going?"

 

Nicole chuckles before she answers and this gains her a suspicious look from the brunette. Gathering her courage, she smirks and huffs because of how serious Waverly's is at this very moment. She finally deadpans, "Well, Waves... I was going down as long as you don't have any objections."

 

Waverly's mouth falls open and she gasps for air, choking slightly. Of all the things she could have said, the brunette was definitely not expecting that. Her skin blushes hotly at the mere idea of Nicole mouth kissing and licking and sucking on her everywhere. Finally Waverly manages to say, "Oh god... No... No objections here."

 

Nicole grins fiercely and quickly kisses her way back down the brunette's body, all too eager to assume her position from earlier. She grasps the top of Waverly's briefs again and before she can even look up a breathy "Yes," escapes the younger woman's lips. Nicole slips the undies down over Waverly's thighs and that's when she sees it, the single hottest thing ever, the clear string of fluid that clings to and connects Waverly to her briefs snaps across the growing distance and Nicole's resolve to go slow snaps with it. She tears the briefs the rest of the way off Waverly's legs. The brunette squeaks happily as Nicole settles her shoulders between her open thighs, holding them open. Waverly tries to squirm, but Nicole moves her hands up the back of her thighs to settle around the top of her hips and she quickly pulls the brunette's glistening heat to her lips. The first taste of Waverly's heat has Nicole whimpering against her. 'It's like salty honeysuckle,' Nicole thinks as she presses her tongue up through the brunette's folds to the swollen red tip of her desire. Waverly gasps at the sensation and her hips jerk up again, pressing herself firmly against the redhead's lips. Nicole groans at the sudden, overwhelming, wet heat and Waverly moans at the vibrations that reach her through the redhead's lips. 

 

Nicole presses Waverly's hips back down with one hand as the other travels up to tease the younger woman's nipple. Waverly whimpers at the delicate touch and clasps one hand over Nicole's at her breast and the other winds its way into the officer's now completely disheveled braid. Her fingertips dig in slightly and she breaths a simple "Please..." when Nicole's tongue dances out across her again. Circling and pressing, circling and pressing, over and over, Nicole works up a steady rhythm, covering and uncovering Waverly's straining button from its hood with each pass. Waverly's hips are trembling on either side of Nicole's face, her thighs spasming as they try to close around her broad shoulders. The redhead quickens the pace with each pass and she glances up at Waverly's face. 

 

Her mouth is wide open, breaths huffing and moaning out, gasping and sucking back in. Her eyes are shut tight and brow is furrowed in intense anticipation. When Waverly's breath seems to have gotten totally out of control, Nicole slips her tongue around Waverly's straining bud and sucks it in between her lips. Nicole works her lips and tongue in sync with the light tugging of her fingers at Waverly's nipple. Both buds strain harder against her attention and Nicole can tell Waverly is so close she's lost to the world. She times her strokes together, increasing the pressure in both areas with each stroke of tongue and fingers, and with a couple of fairly hard pinches of her nipple and the light grazing of the front of her teeth over Waverly's sex, the brunette's stomach rolls and she cries out, "Ha-Holy Shit!"

 

All at once the room goes silent expect for the sliding sounds of one wet thing rubbing against another and it's as if all the air leaves the room. Waverly's thighs clench down hard against Nicole's shoulders and hold her tightly in place. Her back arches completely off the bed and she calls the redhead's name, only it sounds more like a moan that got caught in her throat, "Nunn-cc--ahhh." Upon hearing that fall from the brunette's lips, Nicole doubles her efforts to prolong Waverly's release for as long as possible.

 

Eventually, Waverly begins to come back to Earth and Nicole dips her head for one last taste and discovers her whole face and neck are covered in Waverly. She grins smugly and leans back, blowing lightly over the brunette's sensitive cleft. Waverly shivers and her stomach muscles contract and roll again as an aftershock of her orgasm pings its way through her body. Nicole sits up finally, and wipes her face and neck with her hand. She licks and sucks her hand clean of Waverly's scent as the brunette watches with a stunned face, panting heavily into the silence. The redhead catches the look on her face and moves her body up and to the side, only to pull the smaller woman into a tight embrace.

 

Waverly sighs into Nicole's neck and the redhead feels rather than sees the tears that roll from the brunette's eyes onto her bare shoulder. Pulling her head back to try to get a look at the younger woman, Nicole says, "Hey... hey, Waves, baby? What's wrong?" The brunette just cries harder at Nicole's concerned words. Nicole settles for simply wrapping her whole body around the small brunette in an effort to comfort her.

 

After several long minutes, Waverly finally calms down and Nicole pulls back again and asks again, "Waves, did- did I do something wrong? Are you ok?"

 

Feeling her brain return to reality, Waverly answers hastily, "God Nicole, I- I'm so much better than ok. I've never... No one's ever... not like that... Not ever..." She let her voice trail off hoping Nicole would get the picture.

 

The redhead looks down at the stuttering girl with a sweet smile. Sudden questions strike Nicole's brain, 'No one's ever made her cum? No one's ever gone down on her? No one's ever made her squirt?' She shudders at the crudeness of the last thought, but she can't deny the thought of any or all of those things being true has her heart racing hard in her chest. Glutton for punishment that she is, she asks, "Uh... Waves, care to elaborate on that statement a bit? I'm kinda not sure what kind of first we just breached here... Well other than the obvious ones, you know the ones just between you and me."

 

Waverly blushes awkwardly and decides to just quickly spit it out, saying, "I- I've never had- had anyone go down on me before, at least not to make me... go... and- and there at the end. I didn't even know i could, you know, go that hard. I kinda thought that was just a p- porn special effect."

 

"Definitely not just a special effect, though I can tell you I feel pretty special right now... Thank you, baby. Thank you for trusting me enough to let me make you feel so good," Nicole says as she presses a chaste kiss to Waverly's cheek.

 

Waverly yawns big and wide and Nicole laughs, dragging her finger along the underside of the brunette's chin, flicking it when Waverly's jaw closes abruptly after her deep sigh. 

 

Nicole cuddles Waverly into her side and brings the brunette's face to her neck and holds her tight. Minutes pass as they just enjoy the warmth of each others bodies. Waverly eventually breaks the silence when she asks, "Wait, why are you still wearing pants right now?" 

 

The redhead bursts out a loud, barking laugh and replies, "Well, you got distracted while undressing me, obviously... And shame on you really too, because I'm sure my boy shorts and my jeans are pretty much ruined right now."

 

Waverly's eyes bug out of her head at the admission and she can't help the hungry look that flashes across her face. She immediately rolls herself so she's perched between the redhead's thighs and before Nicole can even react her fly is undone and opened and Waverly is tugging at the jeans and boy shorts a like. The brunette grins up at Nicole, who's now flat against the mattress and says simply, "Up."

 

It's obviously a command and Nicole is all too eager to comply. She lifts her hips and not a second later her whole body is left bare, on display for Waverly's approval.


	28. Chapter 28

Waverly bites her bottom lip as she takes in the body of the redhead sprawled out on the bed in front of her. She looks nervous, understandably, but Nicole can't help but worry if this is too much for the little brunette. She knows Waverly has never been with another girl, so she feels like she needs to ask again, "Waves, you ok?" When the younger woman doesn't reply she continues, "Hey... Look at me?" Waverly's gaze drifts up slowly, her nervous fidgeting ratcheting up until she can barely keep her hands from openly shaking. Their eyes meet and Nicole quickly adds, "We don't have to keep going, baby. I get that this is new for you." She gestures down her body and Waverly's eyes drift away from her's for just a moment before they snap back up.

 

Waverly shakes her head and replies breathily, "I don't wanna stop, but I really don't know the first thing about- this... And coming from a girl knows a lot about a lot of things, that's saying a lot." She realizes how stupid that sounded and immediately follows up with, "I just really want to make you feel good, too." She tentatively puts her hands on Nicole's bare calves and the redhead can't not notice that that the younger woman's hands are indeed shaking.

 

Nicole sits up quickly and places her hands over the brunette's. Her squeezes those hands a little and says, "Baby, I know, but if you're not ready, I'm ok with that. I've said it before, I don't wanna pressure you into anything, ever." A thought ricochets through her brain, 'Well if she's not ready for you, maybe she'd be ready for something more familiar instead...' Before she can second guess herself she blurts out, "You know, I could change into something more... familiar if you're interested." She unconsciously glances at her top dresser drawer.

 

Waverly's eyes widen to the size of saucers and Nicole hopes that is a shocked expression and not disgusted one. The brunette's heart is pounding and Nicole can see it pulsing under the skin of her neck. Nicole runs her hands up Waverly's arms up to the elbow and dips her head to catch Waverly's wandering eyes. The brunette sucks in a deep breath and says, "Uh... Can- can I see what- what that looks like and then decide?" The blush that accompanies that statement is the deepest Nicole has ever seen and instead of pointing that out, she kisses the brunette sweetly on the forehead before bringing her knees up to her chest and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She sashays across to the dresser, swaying her hips a little more than necessary, knowing the brunette is probably watching her. 

 

Nicole is delighted by this turn of events. She slowly opens the top dresser drawer. She would probably never admit it out loud, but the strap on is most definitely her favorite toy, probably one of her favorite ways to have sex really. Just the idea of being able to cum, not just because of Waverly, but with her is such a distraction that she fumbles slightly with the harness she's pulling out of the drawer and almost drops it. She recovers quickly though and within a few seconds she tightens down the straps around her thighs and readjusts the waist band for maximum security. Next, she fits an attachment onto the base in the harness and once she's sure everything is in place she turns back to the younger woman.

 

Waverly watches Nicole fumble with something at her dresser for a minute or so before she turns around to reveal a long, slender, purple shaft jutting out from her center. The brunette can't suppress the instinct to look away, like she's looking at something dirty and Nicole cringes at the reaction. Defeatedly she says, "Ok, I guess that's a no then. I'll just- yeah..." She turns back to the dresser and bends over a bit to begin to loosen the straps on her thighs. She's so deep in her own thoughts of disappointment and dread that she doesn't realize Waverly has crossed the room until a pair of small hands graze up the back of her thighs, over her butt and up onto her hips. Those hands continue around her body until Waverly's front is pressed firmly against her backside. She sighs deeply, allowing her body to relax into the embrace. "That- that wasn't a no. That was a 'holy shit' reaction. I- I might like what I see and that kinda scares me," Waverly's whispers, as she traces her hands down over Nicole's front until they reach the top of the harness settled over the redhead's mound. "But what I don't get is... How is that gonna make you feel just as good as you just made me feel?"

 

Nicole rubs her hands over Waverly's where they resting over her lower belly and says breathily, "Waves, just the thought of you on top of me with- with this is... Uh- I... I'm not sure what'll happen if you actually start touching me."

 

Waverly gasps at the sudden image of riding Nicole to completion, and the quick intake arches her back at bit and she jerks slightly against Nicole's back. Nicole groans at the movement and suddenly Waverly's hands are moving lower to cover the shaft. She tugs it experimentally, and Nicole groans again, knees weakening at the brief friction that rolls over her sex. With a one hand, Waverly reaches up and cups Nicole's breast, as the other continues to work back and forth lightly over Nicole's new appendage. Nicole can barely stay standing at the combined sensations and she whines when one of her knees buckles and bangs into the dresser. Waverly snickers and begins trying to pull Nicole back towards the bed. Nicole briefly thinks about whether or not to stall Waverly, so she can grab one of the condoms that are nestled in her dresser, but decides against it when the brunette releases a needy whine. She allows Waverly to lead her over to bed instead and when the brunette's thighs meet the edge, Waverly stops and uses both hands to turn Nicole towards her.

 

Nicole swings around easily in her arms, letting Waverly just take whatever she wants from her. The redhead concedes easily as Waverly pushes her down onto the edge of the bed and her eyes widen when the brunette immediately begins to climb onto her lap. Not once in her wildest dreams did she imagine tonight going like this, but she'd be hard pressed to find any night in her life that was more perfect. Waverly begins by kissing the redhead sweetly, just on the lips at first, but radiating out from there to her jaw and neck and shoulders. The shaft is bumping against both of their stomachs, trapped between their bodies until one movement brings the underside in contact with Waverly's folds. The brunette pushes her hips forward at the contact and Nicole moans up at the ceiling, her head thrown back in pleasure as the base of the attachment rubs hard against her. Waverly repeats the movement and Nicole gasps as she throws her hands behind her to stabilize herself, when the sudden sensations threaten to topple her over backwards. The abrupt movement of her arms causes a twinge in Nicole's bruised ribs but she bites back her groan, not wanting Waverly to even think about stopping. 

 

Waverly grins into the kiss she's placing on the underside of Nicole's jaw at the older woman's desperate sprawling and grinds her hips hard against the underside of the shaft again, lifting her hips all the way up until the tip brushes against her opening. She slides back down and settles back on the panting redhead's thighs. "Down" she says, patting the redhead's shoulders, and Nicole complies quickly, lying back on to the bed. Waverly continues with her instructions, saying, "Scooch." She urges Nicole to move further onto the bed with her a roll of her hips and the redhead groans loudly at the pressure as she crab walks up the bed using her elbows to drag herself and the brunette further up into the bed. Waverly giggles when Nicole lifts her off the bed with her thighs as she moves. 

 

Nicole smiles at the beautiful sound and reaches up with her hands to cup the sides of Waverly's face. She pulls the brunette down to her and kisses her like she's never kissed anyone before in her whole life. It's dirty and sweet at the same time, passionate and loving and wet, all tongue and teeth. Waverly arches into her and Nicole slides her hands down from the brunette's arms to her hips and squeezes the tender flesh gently before moving her hands under the younger woman's ass. She kneads the muscles there, not-so-subtly encouraging the woman to move against her. 

 

Waverly understands immediately and begins grinding her hips against the shaft again until she and it are completely slick with her heat. She raises up on her knees as the tip brushes her opening again, only this time she swivels her hips a little and the head slips just inside. 

 

The jerk of the tip catching inside the brunette causes the redhead to suck in a quick breath as she struggles not to thrust upwards. She grips the brunette's ass tighter, and Waverly sinks down slowly, only a couple inches before she raises back up, just keeping the tip inside. Nicole's nerves begin to fray from the teasing pace Waverly is setting to start. The brunette slowly drags her hips up and down until the entire shaft has disappeared inside her. Nicole struggles internally but finally looks down at where they are joined and she bites hard on her lip at the sight. When Waverly moves her hips again, Nicole groans and throws her head back, too overwhelmed by the image of her shaft sliding inside of Waverly to keep watching.

 

Waverly takes this position as an opportunity and swoops in and begins hungry nipping down Nicole's neck to her shoulder and over to her breast. She takes one of Nicole's nipples in her mouth and swirls her tongue around the tip experimently, sucking more of the flesh into her mouth as she goes.

 

Nicole shouts at the aggressive move, "Oh, Fuck!" She is losing what little control she has and finds herself quickly thrusting up into the younger woman.

 

Waverly pulls back for just a second, moaning at the thrusts and when Nicole's eyes flash to her's, the brunette knows she's free to keep going. Inspired by Nicole's loss of control, Waverly switches her mouth for her hands and she pinches both nipples as she sits up to roll her hips harder up and down on Nicole. The brunette feels herself getting closer and closer to her own release with each roll, but she pushes past the growing pressure inside herself to keep her rhythm steady over Nicole. 

 

Once she's stabilized the flow again, she picks up the pace and Nicole gasps and shutters briefly against her. Waverly feels so powerful, right now, riding the beautiful redhead is something she never even thought of before, but now that it's happening she can't imagine stopping, ever. The rush of those thoughts have her panting towards the ceiling as she begins to be taken over by the pleasure of her position and the constant movement. She tilts back and as Nicole's shaft begins to hit her deeper her control over her rhythm falters and she strains to continue.

 

Nicole realizes immediately what's happening and grabs Waverly by the hips. She eases Waverly into a new set of movements, no longer letting the brunette's hips lift off her, but simply rolling them in a languid figure eight pattern. The shaft is swirling inside the brunette now and the base is circling her own tip maddeningly. She chokes out, "Shit, Waves... I'm- I'm so...close."

 

Waverly groans and forces her hips down hard against the redhead, keeping to the new pattern. She can barely speak when she says, "Mmm... Too."

 

Nicole keeps her hands working over Waverly's hips and ass, helping her to keep the rhythm going and she whispers, "Let go, Waves... Let go with me."

 

The words hit the brunette's ears and her body shakes violently. Nicole can tell this is it and she times a thrust up to come at the top of the eight, as Waverly clenches down around the shaft. The force of the brunette's clutching muscles pushes the shaft and Nicole down towards the bed and when she tries to thrust up again the resistance she meets pushes the base of the attachment directly over her swollen tip and she cries out, "HAAAaaaaaa." She grips the brunette's hips tightly, probably leaving fingertip shaped bruises along the younger woman's ass. Waverly doesn't seem to mind though as she tries to keep grinding down on the redhead in her hazed state.

 

What seems like several long minutes later, Waverly collapses on top of Nicole in a slump and there's nothing but shivers along her spine and gasping for breath that follows. 

 

Waverly is the first to recover though and she slides her hips up to pull the shaft free from her center. It finally slides out and she sighs, at the sudden emptiness she feels. She curls herself up against the redhead's chest, knees touching elbows. Nicole hasn't moved at all since her release and for a moment, Waverly wonders if she passed out. She squirms against the redhead and Nicole's arms work their way up the brunette's body until they're wrapped around Waverly's shoulders.

 

Nicole squeezes slightly as she says, rough and deep, a definite rasp in her voice, "Heh... Hey."

 

Waverly tilts her head up to meet Nicole's gaze and the brunette clears her throat and says, "Hey..."

 

The redhead smiles wider than Waverly's ever seen before and when she opens she mouth to speak Waverly holds her breath in anticipation. "Waves, baby... That was- God that... I-"

 

Waverly chuckles and says, "Yeah, I know. I can't even..." She blows out the rest of the air in her lungs in a 'whew' sound and hugs the redhead tighter.

 

Nicole chuckles and says, "Not to ruin this moment, Wave, but if you don't let me up some time soon, we're gonna be sleeping in a wet spot."

 

Waverly giggles and scrambles to the side, groaning as her right hip pops loudly as she scooches up the bed towards the headboard.

 

Nicole kisses the Earp on the cheek on her way out of the bed. She slips the harness off as she moves towards the bathroom and she only pushes to door to the frame as she hustles into the bathroom.

 

Waverly settles down in the bed, pulling the covers up over herself to wait for the redhead to come back into the room.

 

A minute or two later Nicole returns to find the brunette snuggled under the blanket on her side of the bed. She frowns momentarily before she just resigns herself to sleeping in the space Waverly has left her. She does decide to tease the little Earp about it though, joking "Well, Waves just make yourself at home over there on my side of the bed," as she slides in behind the brunette.

 

Waverly flusters for a moment and tries to slip towards the edge of the bed as she says," Oh... I- I'm sorry... We can swit- ch if you want..." Nicole manages to keep her hold on the brunette and Waverly's voice breaks when Nicole presses a few hot open-mouthed kisses to the exposed side of her neck. The brunette melts into her arms.

 

Nicole laughs at Waverly's reaction and pulls the brunette back tight into herself. She kisses up and down the younger woman's neck and shoulder, wrapping both arms more firmly around the woman's waist. "Don't go, baby... Don't ever go," Nicole replies.

 

The pleading tone in the redhead's voice forces Waverly to turn in her arms, desperately seeking to reassure the older woman of their connection. She opens her mouth to to speak, but quickly closes it again, nuzzling her face into the taller woman's neck. She mumbles against the skin there and Nicole giggles at the ticklish sensation Waverly's hot breath sends bouncing across her nerves.

 

Nicole composes herself and pulls back a bit, " What'd you say, baby?"

 

Waverly takes a deep breath and says, "I won't go, not ever... I- I..." Waverly's voice fails her as she sighs, all the remaining breath leaving her body in a huff.

 

Nicole hearts feels like it might burst when she can finally realizes what the younger woman is trying to say. She pulls the brunette back to her neck in a fierce hug and chuckles as she says, "It's ok, baby. I know... I know."

 

Waverly pushes herself forward and snuggles her face deep into the hollow of Nicole's neck. They both sigh contentedly and with a few more whispered "I know's" and a few "Goodnight's" after that, they fall into the a blissful sleep, wrapped tightly in each other's arms.


	29. Epilogue

The next two weeks pass in a blur and it's not until Nicole is staring down at the little pinpoint of blackness wavering in her direction, that she really lets herself stop to think. They say that your life flashes before your eyes when you are looking death in the face and for Nicole, life didn't really even start until that first night with Waverly. Her mind drifts over all the stolen moments and coy glances and heated kisses that had passed between the two of them over the last 14 days. They hadn't had a night like that to themselves since then and things have been tough trying to keep what they have totally to themselves, but by Nicole's last count, the only person who didn't know about them was Wynonna.

 

So now standing here, looking down the barrel of a .45 revolver, Nicole feels compelled to go over her regrets. Her thoughts drift over all their missed moments; first, to the ATV picnic that never happened, then to all the time they could have had together if they were both better communicators, and of course the abruptly interrupted moment of passion in the doorway of Nedley's office, and finally the moment just a few hours before when Nicole let Waverly's hand slip away from her's in order to go find her sister. The same sister who is now threatening her life. Nicole is most bitter about the way Willa had busted in on them in the barn when all she wanted was to comfort the love of her life, and sneered at the memory of disgust clear on Willa's face.

 

The night of the 'Poker Spectacular' had been the closest they had come to true intimacy, but of course even then duty had called and Nicole left her house that evening, already late for her security detail, all hot and bothered and a truly frustrated mess. Later that night Waverly showed up at her house at two in the morning, panicked about the whereabouts of her oldest sister. They spooned that night for hours, with Nicole whispering sweet words of comfort and praise until the younger woman finally fell asleep.

 

Drifting again, she imagines the seriously special night she had planned for the youngest Earp in the big city. She had already been in touch with the live band that played for karaoke night at a gay club in Calgary. They had agreed to her requests and had set up a couple of practices for Nicole to come and play with them, so that when they were ready, Nicole could bring Waverly out for a night of dinner and drinks and music. A night where she planned to truly show Waverly how much she cared, how much she loved her.

 

'This can't be happening,' Nicole thinks as her head snaps up when she hears, "Give me Peacemaker or I punch a bunch of holes in Waverly's girlfriend?"

 

Wynonna immediately asks, "Girlfriend?" turning to face her younger sister.

 

Waverly stutters, "Uh, kind of."

 

Nicole can't hold back the little flare of fear and confusion that creeps into her voice when she asks, "Kind of?"

 

Nicole knows why Waverly answered that way. She's scared, both of her feelings and for losing the object of those feelings. Nicole steels her nerves and when Waverly glances over at her, Nicole fixes her with a look, one that Waverly has seen many times before. The look that says, "It's ok, I know." 

 

Waverly sighs when she turns her attention back to her sister just in time to hear Willa say, "What do I care about some ginger butch cop?"

 

Waverly blurts out, "Wynonna, she'll do it..."

 

Nicole watches the anger creep up on the youngest Earp's face and says the brunettes' name with an edge of warning. The last thing she wants is for Willa to turn her gun on Waverly. She knows that she's wearing a bulletproof vest and that while it will protect her from center body shots, even at this range, Waverly does not have that luxury, still dressed in her evening gown from the night before. A part of Nicole worries that even with the vest, she could still die today, right here and now. Willa would just have to tilt the gun up a fraction of an inch to be aiming at her head or down a fraction of an inch to aim at her legs. Either shot would likely be fatal. 

 

When Willa begins her count down, "3," Waverly gasps out "No! Please!" 

 

Wynonna grits her teeth and says "It's the only thing that'll stop Bobo." She doesn't take her eyes off the oldest Earp as she speaks, tensing when Willa barks out, "2."

 

Waverly's breaths are coming faster and faster as the panic of her sister being prepared to kill Nicole over that stupid gun. She calls out, "Wynonna?" and when the heir turns to look at her, Wynonna says quickly, "I can't." 

 

Waverly's next words fall out of her mouth desperately, "Please... I- I love her."

 

All other sounds in the room are drowned out by the pounding of Nicole's heartbeat in her ears when she hears Waverly's quiet confession. Having never actually heard those words come from the youngest Earp before Nicole can't keep herself from staring at the brunette longingly for just a moment. She wants so badly to rush the little woman, take her in her arms and tell her over and over how much she loves the younger woman. 

 

It takes her several seconds to realize the gun that's been held on her has fallen to Willa's side. She breathes a huge sigh of relief and her body suddenly relaxes, as the adrenaline of the moment drops off and she's left breathing heavily and clutching her duty belt as tightly as possible, so as to not drop it.

 

She's just standing there trying to get control over her breathing when Willa says, "Then I better slow you down." Her head snaps up just as freight train hits her chest and everything goes black.

 

 

 

~~~

 

 

 

The blackness is slowly invaded by stark white and Nicole opens her eyes. In the corner of her vision she catches movement and turns her head to take in the image of her "older self" again. Nicole realizes she's back in the white room and when she closes her eyes and then opens them again the walls are filled with images of Waverly. All camera angles of the brunette's quiet confession of love, replay on every surface. Nicole bursts into tears at the sight and her other self gasps at the images. Nicole cries out, "Why? Why am i here again? She loves me and I- and now she's lost me..." Her words devolve into broken sobs after that and she crumbles in on herself, curling into a ball, hugging her knees tight.

 

A soothing hand brushes her shoulder and she shudders away from it. A soft voice says, "Yes, she loves you... But keep watching..."

 

Nicole's eyes snap open and she's just in time to see Willa pull the trigger. Her body jerks involuntarily when the sound of the shot makes her feel the bullet slam into her all over again. She watches as her feet are lifted off the ground and she's slammed into the door frame behind her. Her body slumps forward on to the ground and she doesn't move again. The soft voice asks, "What don't you see?"

 

"What?" Nicole responds, after a deep, wracking breath.

 

"What don't you see? Use your cop brain," the voice asks again.

 

Nicole scans the walls looking for something that's not there and when she finally realizes what the other woman was implying she bolts upright. Just as she speaks, Wynonna's words echo her's. "There's no blood..." they say quietly.

 

"That right, no blood. What does that tell you?" the woman asks with a sweet smile on her face.

 

"I'm not dead?" Nicole asks sheepishly.

 

"That's right, love. You best get back, Waverly's gonna need you before this is all over," the woman says as the images of her and the room fade quickly into reality and the first thing she sees is the face of an angel, her angel, her Waverly, staring down at her, murmuring, "I know, I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that's the end of this one. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, give me kudos or a comment. As i said before I'm not going to post things that are unfinished but I have 2-3 more stories already rolling around in my head, so be on the look out for those in the future. Next will likely be an A/B/O modern day fic for The 100 that I've got mapped out to at least 17 chapters, but the Vikings/ Wynonna Earp crossover might take over... We'll see... 
> 
> Also I haven't done much with it yet but I've got a tumbler too... NotTilItsFinished is my username over there...


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